Bryant Neal Vinas (born December 4, 1982; also Ibrahim, Bashir al-Ameriki and Ben Yameen al-Kanadeeis) is a Hispanic Muslim American convicted of participating in and supporting al-Qaeda plots in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and the U.S.Rashbaum, William K. and Souad Mekhennet
L.I. Man Pleaded Guilty in Attack on U.S. Base in Afghanistan
. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' July 22, 2009. After converting to Islam in 2004, he traveled to

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, in 2007 with the intention of meeting and joining a '' jihadist'' group to fight U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. He was accepted into al-Qaeda and received training in general combat and military explosives. He also volunteered detailed information about the operation of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) system to a senior al-Qaeda leader to help plan a bomb attack on an LIRR commuter train in New York's

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

. Subsequently, he participated in two al-Qaeda rocket attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in September 2008. He was captured by Pakistani forces in 2008 and transferred to

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

custody. In January 2009, he pleaded guilty to all three charges against him. After cooperating with law enforcement and testifying in two European terrorism trials, Vinas was sentenced in May 2017 to three months in prison additionally to the time that he had already served. He will remain under tight supervision for the rest of his life.

Early life

Vinas lived on Long Island, with his parents and his sister, Lina. His parents had both immigrated to the U.S., his mother from Argentina and his father, now a retired engineer, from Peru. A one-time Boy Scout who grew up in

Medford, New York Medford is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,142 at the 2010 census. History The Long Island Rail Road established the M ...

, Vinas was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. His parents divorced in 2000. Vinas graduated from Longwood High School in

Middle Island, New York Middle Island is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. It is situated between the hamlets of Coram and Ridge, to the west and e ...

. He joined the U.S. Army at age 18 in 2002, but was discharged after just three weeks of

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

at Fort Jackson in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. While first living with his mother in Medford, Vinas had a dispute with her and moved in with his father in Patchogue, New York, in approximately 2005. He worked as a licensed truck driver and at a

car wash A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...

, and sporadically attended technical college.

Conversion to Islam

He converted to Islam in 2004, and is a member of the Salafi methodology. He attended the Islamic Association of Long Island, a local

Selden, New York Selden is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 19,851 at the 2010 census. History Early settlement The farmers who first moved to what is now Selden in the ...

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, most members of which are Pakistani. He attended the mosque regularly from approximately 2004/05 until late 2007, and began going by the name "Ibrahim" there. Mosque president Nayyar Imam said he talked regularly to

and

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" t ...

officials and that he kept "an eye like a hawk on this place". On the other hand, a former FBI counter-terrorism official said "there could be a person in the mosque who has some radical thoughts and ideas who the imam knows nothing about", and that suspected

extremists Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...

had in fact been identified at the mosque. Vinas began wearing Islamic robes and a skullcap, immersed himself in the Koran and studying Arabic, brought three Pakistani friends from the mosque to his father's home on one occasion, and encouraged his father to consider converting to Islam. Law enforcement officials believe he was radicalized through the internet, as his confiscated computer revealed that while in the U.S. he had visited jihadist websites. In September 2007, he quit his job and abruptly left his father's home, saying he wanted to study Islam and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Taliban and al-Qaeda

Taliban

On September 10, 2007, Vinas traveled to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

intending to join a jihadist group which fought U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Three of his Pakistani friends in New York helped him plan his trip. He also traveled to

Peshwar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, Pakistan, to have a doctor amputate the little toe of his right foot due to an unspecified ailment.

Al-Qaeda training camp

Later in 2007, he traveled to

. He made contact with members of al-Qaeda from

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and its leadership, and with "a good reference" was accepted into al-Qaeda. He received "military type training" in the Waziristan's al-Qaeda camp between March and August 2008. During intake, he filled out an information form, listed his relatives, handed his passport over, and adopted an alias. His training included "courses" in general combat, firearms (the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

, machine gun, and pistol), rocket-propelled grenades, a 15-day course in military explosives theory and assembly (including

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

, C4,

voltmeter A voltmeter is an instrument used for measuring electric potential difference between two points in an electric circuit. It is connected in parallel. It usually has a high resistance so that it takes negligible current from the circuit. A ...

s, and suicide belts), and a course in assassination and silencers. Ten to twenty other students were in his classes. There were other classes offered in forgery, poison, and "advanced bombs". The trainees' performance was evaluated in writing and the reports kept in their personnel file. He lived in

safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...

s with trainees from Europe and Turkey, and learned Arabic,

Dari Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī ...

, and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' He agreed to become a

suicide bomber A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

, but his handlers eventually decided that he needed more indoctrination and training.Cruickshank, Paul and

Nic Robertson Nic Robertson (born 1962) is the international diplomatic editor of CNN. Career Robertson joined CNN in 1990 and is currently the network's international diplomatic editor, based in London. His reporting has focused on global terrorism and arme ...

br>"New Yorker says he would have been suicide bomber"
. ''CNN''. July 24, 2009 Vinas took part with other masked fighters in an al-Qaeda propaganda video featuring Abu Yahya al-Libi, a leader and frequent spokesman. He also had contact with

Rashid Rauf Rashid Rauf (ca. 1981 – 22 November 2008) was an alleged Al-Qaeda operative. He was a dual citizen of Britain and Pakistan who was arrested in Bhawalpur, Pakistan in connection with the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot in August 2006, a day b ...

, a Pakistani/British member reportedly involved in the

2006 transatlantic aircraft plot The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives, carried aboard airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada, disguised as soft drinks. The plot was discovered by British ...

to bring down U.S. flights.

Najibullah Zazi

Vinas met Najibullah Zazi in Pakistan in 2008. Zazi, from Queens, had also traveled to Pakistan (flying with friends to Peshawar in August 2008) to join the Taliban and fight against the U.S. military and its allies in Afghanistan. In Peshawar, he and his friends were instead recruited by al-Qaeda, and taken to a training camp in Waziristan. Zazi also underwent weapons and explosives training there in 2008. Al-Qaeda leaders also discussed target locations in New York City with Zazi, including the New York City subway systems. Zazi returned to the U.S. in January 2009. He was arrested in September 2009, accused of planning suicide bombings during rush hour on the New York City Subway, and has pleaded guilty.

Plot to bomb Penn Station; rocket attacks

He provided detailed information about the operation of the New York City transit system and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) system, communications equipment and personnel to a senior al-Qaeda leader between March and November 2008. He had gleaned the information as a frequent rider on the LIRR. The purpose was to help plan a bomb attack on an LIRR

commuter train Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are cons ...

in New York's

. His later admission of a plot to blow up an LIRR train inside Penn Station triggered a U.S. security alert over the 2008

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

holiday. Subsequently, he participated at the direction of al-Qaeda in two rocket attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in September 2008. Both attacks failed.

Arrest

He traveled again to Peshwar, Pakistan, in October 2008, this time in search of a wife, and to buy supplies and use the internet. It was there that he was captured in November 2008 by Pakistani troops, guided by U.S. agents who had been tracking him. He was transferred to

custody and began cooperating with authorities.Goldman, Adam and Devlin Barre
"New direction in terror fight may stem from case"
''Associated Press''. July 26, 2009.

Charges and guilty plea

Vinas was charged with conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals,

providing material support to al-Qaeda In United States law, providing material support for terrorism is a crime prohibited by the USA PATRIOT Act and codified in title 18 of the United States Code, section2339Aan2339B It applies primarily to groups designated as terrorists by the St ...

, and providing "expert advice and assistance" (in relation to the information about the LIRR). The charges carried a maximum penalty of life in prison. He originally pleaded "not guilty". But he switched and pleaded guilty to all three charges on January 28, 2009, in

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district co ...

in the

Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five counties in New York State: the four Long Island counties of Nassau, Su ...

before Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis.

Cooperation

Vinas has cooperated with law enforcement and intelligence officials, providing information and playing the role of key prosecution witness in at least two terrorism trials in Europe. In these trials, his testimony has placed suspects in al-Qaeda training camps, linking them to the terrorist network. In addition, he has provided what intelligence officials have described as a "treasure trove" of valuable information about the workings of the al-Qaeda network; as a speaker of Arabic, Dari, and Urdu who had rare contact with al-Qaeda leadership and participated in extensive training, he is uniquely familiar with the organization. The cooperation from Vinas has been described as a major intelligence progress in understanding the process of Western-born potential jihadists getting through to terrorist training in remote areas of Pakistan. As of July 2009, he was reported to be in the custody of

United States Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

in an undisclosed location in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

Reaction

"He's not my son no more", said Maria Luisa Uraga, his mother. "I don't know him if he's able to do this. He has no family anymore."

Sentencing

In May 2017, Vinas was sentenced to three months in prison in addition to the time that he had already served. Judge Nicholas Garaufis described that decision as difficult, noting the need to balance the weight of his crimes and his extremely valuable cooperation that allowed the government to disrupt al-Qaeda activities. The prosecution contended that an overly harsh sentence would discourage other potential cooperators from agreeing to talk. However, Mr. Vinas will remain under tight supervision for the rest of his life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinas, Bryant Neal Living people Converts to Sunni Islam from Catholicism Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government American al-Qaeda members American people of Peruvian descent American former Christians 1983 births Islamic terrorism in the United States American people of Argentine descent Al-Qaeda trainees 21st-century American criminals American people imprisoned on charges of terrorism People from Patchogue, New York People convicted on terrorism charges People from Queens, New York American Sunni Muslims People from Medford, New York People from Selden, New York American expatriates in Pakistan