New York City police had been watching Jose Pimentel for more than a year because he had links to terrorists groups. He didn’t like American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as reading reading al- Qaeda literature. Undercover police informants learned of his plans directly from Pimental and that he wanted to target government buildings, banks, and police stations.

The New York police department made the arrest without any help from federal agencies. They wanted to make the arrest now because he had already made small pipe bombs and was planning to test them on mailboxes. He was processed in the Manhattan Criminal Court last night and held without bail. He is being held at the Manhattan Detention Complex.

After he was arrested he told police that true Muslims had to attack the U.S because American troops were in Muslim lands.