Terror case against Indian American man in pre-trial stage.
By Raif Karerat
A Bergen County detective testified in a pretrial hearing that the discovery of a blueprint hanging on the wall of Aakash Dalal’s apartment with the words “Project Anarchy” is what drew attention to the Indian American during an arson investigation.
Indian American Dalal, 23, currently stands accused of plotting a slew of fire-bombings at various synagogues across New Jersey.
Dalal and co-defendant Anthony Graziano, also 23, allegedly planned and executed four attacks in Bergen County, including one in which Molotov cocktails allegedly were thrown into the home of a rabbi and his family in Rutherford.
The pretrial hearing is to resolve a challenge from defense attorney Brian Neary on the admission of a statement by Dalal and evidence found in his apartment in February 2012, according to The Record of Bergen County.
Detective Michael Guzman testified for more than two hours last week regarding the 3-by-3-foot blueprint that he spotted on the wall while visiting Dalal’s apartment on Feb. 9, 2012.
On the blueprint were the words “Project Anarchy, phase one, base of operations and control room” and with “demolition” and “an arrow drawn to the control room” which caused “concern” and prompted Guzman to report the wall-hanging to his boss.
“It looks like someone, in drawing on the blueprint, is making plans that somehow involve this building,” Guzman said while being questioned on the stand. “I hate to be that person who doesn’t do something and something comes about.”
After his arrest in early 2012, a search of Dalal’s jail cell allegedly unearthed an enemies list and a plot to murder Martin Delaney, the assistant prosecutor in charge of his investigation.
Dalal was duly charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to possess a firearm, and making terroristic threats.