Queens Imam Says He is a Loyal American Ahmad Afzali, the Imam
charged with lying to authorities during the investigation of a
possible terror attack against New York, claimed Friday that he
is a loyal American wrongly accused.  Before a pretrial hearing
in Brooklyn, Afzali told a group of reporters Friday that he was
innocent and that he hopes justice will be served.  The FBI
investigation that involved Afzali was focused on Najibullah
Zazi, the Colorado airport driver who allegedly received
training from al-Qaida on building and detonating bombs in New
York City.  Prosecutors claimed that Afzali called Zazi when he
learned of the surveillance efforts, tipping Zazi off.  The
defense countered by saying that Afzali called Zazi at the
behest of incompetent NYPD detectives, and that the authorities
had created a "perjury trap."