New York (CNN) -- A New York man accused in an alleged terrorist plot pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to federal agents. Ahmad Wais Afzali, a Muslim cleric and funeral director from the New York borough of Queens, was one of the first people charged in what authorities have described as a plot to detonate bombs on New York subways. Afzali was accused of lying about whether he tipped off suspect Najibullah Zazi that the FBI had been asking questions about his activities. Zazi subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiring to detonate explosives in the United States. On Thursday, Afzali told the court that police had asked him to help provide information about Zazi and two other suspects, Adis Medujanian, and Zarein Ahmedzay. He said he knew Zazi and Medujanian fairly well from when they were teenagers and attended his mosque for prayers and to play volleyball.
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Ahmad Wais Afzali admits that he lied about alerting bomb suspect to investigation
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The Muslim cleric says he lied about warning Najibullah Zazi "to protect myself"
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Plea deal recommends zero to six months, immediate deportation after time served
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Zazi has pleaded guilty in plot to detonate bombs on New York subways
He later told reporters that he "just signed his death sentence" by accepting the plea deal, saying he didn't want to the leave the @placeholder.