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FBI foils terror attack on Pentagon, US Capitol
The US authorities have arrested a Massachusetts man and charged him with an Al Qaeda-inspired plot to launch a terrorist attack on the Pentagon and US Capitol, using remote-controlled aircraft filled with C-4 plastic explosives.
The man in custody is Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old US citizen, said to be “a self-radicalised jihadist”. A physics graduate from Northeastern University, Ferdaus was a drummer who, interestingly, used “Bollywood” as his nickname when he played in a Massachusetts band.
Ferdaus envisioned a large “psychological” impact by killing Americans, including women and children, who he referred to as “enemies of Allah”, according to the Department of Justice. The FBI undercover agents, posing as Al Qaeda operatives, carried out the arrest after Ferdaus bought what he believed to be 25 pounds of plastic explosives, three grenades and six automatic assault rifles.
He had bought one small drone aircraft and planned to buy others which he hoped to fill with explosives and fly into Pentagon and Capitol from a park along the Potomac River, reports said. He travelled to Washington to do surveillance taking pictures of his targets. Ferdaus was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to Al Qaeda in order to carry out attacks on US soldiers stationed overseas.
“Ferdaus had long planned to commit violent acts against our country, including attacks on the Pentagon and our nation’s Capitol. Thanks to the diligence of the FBI and our many other law enforcement partners, that plan was thwarted,” said US Attorney Carmen M Ortiz. The authorities sought to assure the people that they were never in danger from the explosive devices as the movements of the suspect were controlled by the undercover agents.
The affidavit alleges that Ferdaus began planning to commit a violent “jihad” against the US in early 2010. He obtained mobile phones, each of which he modified to act as an electrical switch for an IED. He then supplied the phones to FBI undercover agents, who he believed to be Al Qaeda men.
According to the affidavit, Ferdaus appeared gratified during a June 2011 meeting, when he was told that his first phone detonation device had killed three US soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq, reportedly responding: “That was exactly what I wanted.”
“In May and June 2011, Ferdaus delivered two thumb drives to the UCs, which contained detailed attack plans with step-by-step instructions as to how he planned to attack the Pentagon and Capitol. The plans included using three remote-controlled aircraft and six people, including himself whom he described as an “amir,” i.e., an Arabic term meaning leader,” the document said.
The man in custody is Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old US citizen, said to be “a self-radicalised jihadist”. A physics graduate from Northeastern University, Ferdaus was a drummer who, interestingly, used “Bollywood” as his nickname when he played in a Massachusetts band.
Ferdaus envisioned a large “psychological” impact by killing Americans, including women and children, who he referred to as “enemies of Allah”, according to the Department of Justice. The FBI undercover agents, posing as Al Qaeda operatives, carried out the arrest after Ferdaus bought what he believed to be 25 pounds of plastic explosives, three grenades and six automatic assault rifles.
He had bought one small drone aircraft and planned to buy others which he hoped to fill with explosives and fly into Pentagon and Capitol from a park along the Potomac River, reports said. He travelled to Washington to do surveillance taking pictures of his targets. Ferdaus was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to Al Qaeda in order to carry out attacks on US soldiers stationed overseas.
“Ferdaus had long planned to commit violent acts against our country, including attacks on the Pentagon and our nation’s Capitol. Thanks to the diligence of the FBI and our many other law enforcement partners, that plan was thwarted,” said US Attorney Carmen M Ortiz. The authorities sought to assure the people that they were never in danger from the explosive devices as the movements of the suspect were controlled by the undercover agents.
The affidavit alleges that Ferdaus began planning to commit a violent “jihad” against the US in early 2010. He obtained mobile phones, each of which he modified to act as an electrical switch for an IED. He then supplied the phones to FBI undercover agents, who he believed to be Al Qaeda men.
According to the affidavit, Ferdaus appeared gratified during a June 2011 meeting, when he was told that his first phone detonation device had killed three US soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq, reportedly responding: “That was exactly what I wanted.”
“In May and June 2011, Ferdaus delivered two thumb drives to the UCs, which contained detailed attack plans with step-by-step instructions as to how he planned to attack the Pentagon and Capitol. The plans included using three remote-controlled aircraft and six people, including himself whom he described as an “amir,” i.e., an Arabic term meaning leader,” the document said.
