Rocky Mountain Low

The Colorado resident arrested earlier this week on terrorism plot charges has apparently admitted ties to Al Qaeda.

Either a plea deal or charges are possible for the man, identified as Najibullah Zazi, the official said.

A spokeswoman for Zazi's attorney said Zazi began meeting in Denver with the FBI at 9 a.m. Friday for the third consecutive day, and was still there by nightfall. Zazi's father Mohammed met for three hours Friday afternoon with the FBI, then returned to his home.

The alleged terrorist plot, which came to light this week after raids in New York, may have been targeting a major transportation center, such as a large railroad or subway station, sources close to the investigation told CNN on Thursday.

There were plans for an attack, presumably in the New York area, where crowds are large and security screening for travelers who are not flying is lax, the sources said.

"While DHS and FBI have no information regarding the timing, location or target of any planned attack, we believe it is prudent to remind transit authorities to remain vigilant," the Department of Homeland Security said Friday in a written statement.

Two sources familiar with the investigation said that Zazi had video of New York's Grand Central Terminal, a massive junction of rail and subway lines, as well as shops and restaurants, through which pass a half-million people per day.

A former counterterrorism official briefed on the investigation said bomb instructions were found but could not say where.

Here's the crux of the issue: even if this is a completely legitimate arrest and Zazi was allegedly plotting to attack a major subway station or something in NYC, the fact that we've held people on bogus "terrorism" charges for the last eight years pretty much guarantees that we have to ask very careful and specific questions about this case.

There's no Bush administration to fault for this one, either. This is all Obama's DoJ here. Question the case, and try him in a court of law. If he cops a plea bargain, then we need to know what information was obtained.

The government has very little credibility on this issue. Obama can make a huge difference in that depending on how he reacts to this.