Original subtitles

I swear it never stops. I finish a memo,

boom, I need to write a brief.

I finish the brief, boom, I need to draft a motion.

Then that jackass Snyder tears it all apart.

He says my writing is pedestrian,

my research is outdated.

Maybe it's time to start looking around,

find a smaller firm, less pressure.

We can stay where we're at, rent for a few more years.

Money is the root of all evil,

the reason people suffer.

We must stop the exploitation of the working man

and the pain we suffer.

To do that, we need to make them suffer,

make them feel our pain...

Anyone call 911?

Yeah, five minutes ago.

Hit. Hit.

There you go, Tess. Search.

of the working man and the pain we suffer.

To do that, we need to make them suffer.

Rich people suck? Never heard that before.

detonated at 7:27. There's three dead.

Still trying to ID them.

We don't even know the make and model yet.

Hey. Any witnesses?

glued to the gold car.

You know, the whole Nashville thing.

and created a diversion

50 yards from the actual crime scene.

Okay.

We got the names of our victims.

Number one, Mark Heller, 51, male, white,

he worked in commercial real estate.

Janet White, 37, female, Black.

She was a nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

And Benjamin Lopez, 26, male Hispanic.

He was a law student at NYU.

Let's dig into these three people.

Was this a random attack, or were these people targeted?

Was one of our victims perchance the bomber?

I don't know. Let's get to work.

Kelly, Elise, let's make sure we pull

as much surveillance video as possible

from around the bomb site

and the gold car that had the audio recording.

Whoever planted that device likely planted the bomb too.

across the street from the site.

He seems real agitated,

but here's what's interesting:

He pulls his phone out at 7:27, presses a button.

Let's presume for the moment he presses send.

He then turns and hurries off in the opposite direction.

Seconds later, the bomb detonates.

Got it. Nicholas Katz.

There's three prior arrests

all in the last 18 months and all for curfew violations.

of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Let's get an address.

Federal agents!

Take off your headphones.

that exploded in Queens,

so keep your hands where I can see them and do not move.

This is ridiculous.

pacing back and forth, looking at your phone,

then seconds before the bomb explodes,

you scurry off in the opposite direction.

So it doesn't seem that ridiculous to me.

but she kept changing her mind.

She wanted to come, she didn't wanna come,

so finally I just took off.

did you happen to see anyone or anything suspicious?

staring at a building.

He never moved, he just stood there watching,

and then right before the bomb went off,

he took off running.

He appeared to be Middle Eastern,

dark hair, dark skin.

You didn't think to call the police?

"Oh, I saw a suspicious Middle Eastern dude

running down the street"?

That's exactly what you're supposed to do.

No more "See Something, Say Something."

What if I were wrong? Then what?

What, I become the new posterchild

No, gracias.

Hey, Rina, hey.

I, uh, got back to counterterrorism last week.

I was gonna text you, but...

exit a black Chrysler, loiter for a few moments,

and then took off seconds before

that same black Chrysler detonated.

but so far, we've been striking out.

No chatter, no intel, but we're reaching out

to our various assets to see what they know.

Hey, I'm really glad you're here.

It's a new chapter, you know?

Kinda feels like anything's possible.

Y'all got something, huh?

His car was reported stolen yesterday afternoon

outside a hardware store in Queens.

There's the car. Now watch this guy.

Steam, small sips, limited head tilt.

Roast & Bean, café three doors down.

I had them send over credit card data

of all purchases within 15 minutes of the theft.

Only one Middle Eastern surname on the list: Rob Salem.

I just ran it through the DMV for approximate age, height...

Don't be stupid, Rob.

you stole a black Chrysler yesterday.

And we got the whole thing on video.

you probably shouldn't buy coffee first.

you definitely shouldn't pay with a credit card.

corner of 30th and 42nd.

Met the guy who asked me to do it, got paid, went home.

That's the best you could do for me?

This guy starts talking to me,

bums a smoke, we start chatting.

Next thing I know he says, "You steal me a car

in the next hour, I'll give you 1,000 bucks, cash."

It's crazy I know, but it's the truth.

thin, about my height.

I don't know. Probably.

But he didn't have an accent or anything.

I had no idea, I swear.

with any known terrorist groups.

Just a local kid looking to make some quick money.

What part of Queens?

Salem said he had just had lunch

at a restaurant called Tannourine.

A guy named Hassan Ali owns it.

We've been monitoring him for a few years.

Matches the general description Salem gave.

We've got a CI in the neighborhood.

I haven't heard anybody talking about it either.

All right, start talking to people, taking photos.

speak with my attorney first.

"Mona Nazari." Anybody know her?

and opened up her own legal clinic,

so it is possible she's representing him.

she's trying to do for Vega.

We made a deal with him two years ago

after he got busted for armed robbery.

On top of that,

he was undocumented, facing deportation.

NYPD reached out, thought he may be interested,

so we made an arrangement.

so he owes us.

He doesn't get to just walk away

now that we really need him.

Look, what I'm saying is, girlfriend or no girlfriend,

if Vega doesn't live up to end of the bargain,

he'll be back on a plane to Damascus real soon.

He's undocumented, got pinched for armed robbery.

and had a small knife in his pocket.

If he were white,

he would've gotten a gentle slap on the wrist.

But he's Muslim from Syria. Means he's valuable.

So you guys leveraged him.

"Spy on your friends, and we'll let you stay in America."

He either cooperates, or he's gonna get deported.

Okay? I'm just trying to do my job.

Being a loyal Fed no matter what the circumstances.

That's not fair.

after this operation's over, he'll cooperate.

If not, he's not stepping foot near that restaurant.

Told him he should take advantage of this opportunity.

Try exploiting the people exploiting him.

You're good.

to a few suspicious foreign nationals

about a month ago.

One of the men's cousins is a known terrorist in Syria.

Yeah, I get it.

I know, it's not a lot, but it's all we got.

I assume you've spoken to his lawyer

She said he is willing to cooperate

as long we can help secure permanent legal residence

when this is over.

Are you kidding me?

so with all due respect, it kind of is what it is.

We need all the help we can get.

Hassan Ali is our ultimate target.

He owns the restaurant, and he spends a lot of time there too.

that he's actually involved in any of this,

or are you just speculating?

We just said that he might be involved.

someone who fits the general description of Hassan

offered a guy 1,000 bucks to steal a black Chrysler

that was used in the bombing.

from his restaurant,

so we're not just picking names out of a hat.

All right, it's probably just a coincidence.

All we can do is find information

and chase potential leads.

These are the other people

that we think might be involved.

He works at the restaurant. He's a waiter.

He's like the nicest guy I ever met.

You are going to go to the restaurant,

you're gonna find Joseph, you're gonna start talking.

If things go well, you're gonna bring up the bombing.

I want you to get access to the back room.

Once you get in there,

I want you to take pictures of everything, okay?

Photos, letters, packages, bills.

Whatever you can.

This is cruel. This is evil.

You're asking me to spy on my friends and my neighbors.

Why? Because I'm Muslim.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

I just, uh

I just separate my two identities.

You know, when I'm at work, I'm a Fed.

When I go home,

I'm the Egyptian kid from Queens.

I'm gonna get the mezza platter,

some fool, and chicken shawarma.

I went to high school with him.

I mean, the only thing that could ruin it,

of course, I suppose would be the police.

Always looking to cause problems.

Especially when a bomb goes off.

You know, the minute something explodes,

anything, firecrackers,

we get harassed.

My restaurant is under surveillance all the time.

The Feds have this crazy idea

that I'm involved with some terror group.

I mean, I got so anxious, I installed a security system.

It cost me $4,000.

Comes in handy too.

The other day I saw an older woman fall on the ice.

I was able to help her.

Small world too. I know her sister, Yvonne.

Yeah, we live in the same building.

I gotta go give her a ride somewhere, okay?

I gotta cancel the order. I'm sorry.

What the hell was that, man?

Hey! What the hell was that?

The place was practically empty.

I'm sorry, all right? I tried.

I really tried. I can't do it.

These are good people.

You're just speculating. You're guessing!

We're investigating. We're looking for evidence.

If we don't find any, then we move on.

There's nothing to worry about.

and you're gonna take advantage of your relationships,

I'm not doing it, all right? This.

I'd rather be deported, for real.

All the spying you guys are having me do, I

I actually thought about killing myself today.

I mean it.

I thought might be the best way out of this nightmare.

I don't wanna die,

but I don't want to be a traitor either.

The FBI stole my soul.

So please

just leave me alone.

Leave me alone.

Tell us Vega's making some progress.

He met with Hassan last night,

turns out they have some close friends in common,

so there's a high level of trust right off the bat.

gather any actionable intel?

that he's gonna be a valuable asset.

with this line that you're walking.

our informant told us to go to hell.

I'm gonna get this whole thing back on track.

just listen.

I know that this situation's got to be complicated for you,

so if you want me to take point, I'm happy to do that

just take some pressure off.

I promise, all right? I'll call you.

We offered to make him a permanent legal resident.

He'd rather roll the dice in court.

but you know there's no chance you can win, right?

He's gonna get deported.

I don't care how good of a lawyer you are.

You do not stand a chance

if Rina Trenholm is gunning for you.

to do everything I can to protect him.

but a bomb just went off three miles from here

yesterday morning, and three people were killed.

You guys like to pretend like it is!

You cut him some terrible deal two years ago,

and you think you own him.

I did not make that deal. This is not on me!

You don't see me doing everything I can

so this guy does not get deported?

and risk his life?

You don't get to be the good guy here, Omar, I'm sorry.

You just don't.

on 36th Avenue.

mostly nails and glass. Two injured, no deaths.

possibly Middle Eastern hanging out in the lobby of the bank

for few minutes, drop something, then head out.

A minute later was the explosion.

Inside, outside, everywhere we can.

We got a new and different bomb.

It's less sophisticated. What does that mean?

Same group, different device?

They ran out of high quality explosives,

didn't wanna steal another car,

or they're running low on funds and supplies

and getting desperate, or

there's another bomber out there.

So let's find a connection, yeah?

Eyes up.

All right, good news is nobody died.

We caught a break on this one.

But let's not plan on getting lucky again.

Let's dig in.

All right, Ian, let's pull the video from the pole cam

we installed outside Hassan's restaurant this morning.

47 minutes before the pipe bomb detonated

and then he returned 68 minutes later.

Elise, can you put Hassan's photo up?

Thank you.

I don't know. I mean, that could be Hassan.

I don't know, can you throw his associates up

and run facial comparison?

Video's low res, but we're on it.

We're chasing every cam within a mile from the bank.

but we need more than pluck. We need results.

So keep digging.

Elise, let's find a nexus between these two bomb sites.

What do they have in common? Who do they have in common?

Thank you. Hey.

I can't definitively connect the image to Hassan

or any of his associates.

But the good news is that he got Hassan talking,

and we were able to identify an opportunity.

a very sophisticated surveillance system

at his restaurant, lots of cameras pointing outwards,

so maybe one of those cameras caught the conversation

between Salem and whoever gave him $1,000 to steal that car.

for a sneak and peek.

but it might make more sense to use Vega.

We don't think he can pull this one off.

and the only lead we have is Hassan's security system.

is because of Vega.

I am just trying to do my job

and chase what's in front of me,

You're trying to say that you're really good

at separating your personal life

from your professional life.

But what I'm telling you

is that you're not very good at it.

You are bending over backwards to try to help Vega

because you think he got screwed.

and stop pretending that you're just doing your job.

Let's get to work. We got some video to steal.

on the south side of the street.

On our order, he's gonna cut the electrical feed.

OA, it's in here.

All right, we're copying files,

but we need a minute. Maybe two.

Hassan is here. I repeat, Hassan is here.

He's walking toward the front door.

Thank God you're open! I'm starving.

I just forgot my phone.

I got two gummies kicking in right now.

I can't tell you how bad I need

some of them chicken kabobs!

Some of that hummus!

We're good.

Okay, I get it. Naw, I see.

I might have to write up a report on social media

and let everybody know how you treat Black folks.

Trust me, miss, I know all about racism.

I'll tell you what.

You can turn the electricity back on.

Go, go, go, go.

That's very nice of you. Thank you, I appreciate you.

See you tomorrow!

Got it.

Philip Stafford, 37, owner of Formex Fitness LLC,

resides in Westchester.

The President of which is Mark Heller,

one of the victims from the first bombing.

We have a new suspect: Philip Stafford.

Let's get an address and scoop him up.

Hassan didn't do it, we just profiled him?

Go!

He hasn't lived here for three months.

We're getting a divorce. Why? What the hell is happening?

We need to talk to him right now.

He's been staying with friends, cousins.

He's angry and erratic.

I won't even let him see the kids.

He's spiraling. He's desperate and broke.

He asked me for a loan the other day.

$20,000. I said no.

You're gonna call him up right now,

tell him that you feel terrible,

and that he can borrow the money.

At the house. Now.

No, no, no, no. The kids are fine.

and, uh,

well, if you still want me to lend you the money, I can.

So why don't you swing by the house,

say hi to the kids, and I can give you the check.

Okay, good.

He'll be here in 30 minutes.

New York tags, Oscar, Peter, Allen, 4265.

We'll take him here.

Said he'd give me his Rolex and Infiniti

if I delivered this letter to his wife, and I did.

I mean, what was I supposed to do, say no?

He was standing outside of his Infiniti smoking.

like he was just waiting for the right dude to walk by.

Knows his wife tried to set him up.

Talks about all the shame, guilt,

how he worked 24 hours a day to succeed but no one cared.

"She poisoned our marriage. She said you deserved better.

"More. That's why I tried to expand.

That's why I went bankrupt, because of her."

We believe she's his next target.

We need to find her fast. Let's go.

at Crestford Capital. 355 Park Avenue.

According to her sister, she's there right now.

Okay, Elise, give her a call, tell her what's going on.

Tell her we have agents on the way to her now.

Get some agents over there,

and let's find Stafford now!

Credit cards, traffic cams.

He got on the N train at Ditmars Avenue

in Astoria 17 minutes ago.

I'm guessing it's in Lower Manhattan.

Other hand in the air.

I swear.

But the system is rigged!

No one cares about regular people.

They got nothing to do with this, Philip.

They're kids.

Put the gun down.

Turns out those two kids weren't even his nephews.

Dude was just trying to go out with a bang, huh?

Too much pressure I guess.

but I overheard you talking to Maggie earlier.

you know, compartmentalize your two identities,

I get it.

I used to do it.

It don't work.

You gotta own who you are.

Who you really are.

If that's enough for some of these white folks

around here then to hell with them.

Thank you, Tiff. I appreciate it.

That Vega backed out of the operation.

But without him,

we wouldn't have known about the security footage,

we wouldn't have chased that lead,

and we would not have gotten Stafford.

for many reasons.

You were trying to do your job

while trying to protect Vega at the same time.

I was.

Because what we did to Vega wasn't right, okay?

We squeezed him too hard.

We forced him to spy on his friends, his family,

religious leaders...

And we didn't even know

if they were actually terrorists.

We just assume they are

or that they might be.

Why?

Because of their religion? Because of their nationality?

That's not okay. Not anymore.

or have names on the back of their shirts.

They live insular communities protected by friends,

relatives, and sometimes religious leaders.

We've saved hundreds,

maybe thousands of lives doing it this way,

so please, don't play the poor, exploited Muslim card.

Okay, 'cause this kid, Vega,

he was on his way to Syria until I intervened.

Until I helped him out.

I let him stay here with his cousins and siblings.

I even got him a job.

so get it done.

I'm gonna help you get through all this.