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Feds: US man planned to blow up Pentagon

By JAY LINDSAY - Associated Press | AP3 hrs ago

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BOSTON (AP) A man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting an assault on the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using remotecontrolled aircraft armed with explosives the latest of several terrorism cases to spring from federal sting operations. Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested in Framingham, Massachusetts, after undercover federal agents delivered materials he had allegedly requested, including grenades, six machine guns and what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive. Federal officials said the public was never in danger from the explosives, which it said were always under control and closely monitored. Wednesday's arrest was similar to other cases in which reputed would-be terrorists were caught in sting operations that revolved around fictional plots against various targets, such as Dallas skyscapers or a Chicago nightclub. In this case, though, authorities say Ferdaus planned the scheme.

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A police car sits in the driveway of the home of 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus, inAshland,

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According to a federal affidavit, Ferdaus, 26, of Ashland, became convinced America was evil through jihadi websites and videos, and began planning "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010. He contacted a federal informant that December and months later, allegedly

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began meeting to discuss the plot with undercover federal agents he believed were members of al-Qaida. Ferdaus said he wanted to deal a psychological blow to the "enemies of Allah" by hitting the Pentagon, which he called "head and heart of the snake," according to the affidavit. FEATURED
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"Allah has given us the privilege," he allegedly told the informant. "... He punishes them by our hand. We're the ones." Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen who graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in physics, made a brief initial appearance Wednesday in federal court on charges of attempting to destroy federal buildings and providing support to a foreign terrorist organization, in this case al-Qaida. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday.

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Telephone messages were left at the office of his attorney, Catherine Byrne, and at the address listed for Ferdaus in the

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affidavit. Several alleged domestic plots have been thwarted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including in Lackawanna, New York; Portland, Oregon; and Virginia. Terrorism arrests involving federal stings have often been followed by claims of entrapment, but none of the cases brought since Sept. 11 has been thrown out by a court on such grounds. U.S. Rep. William Keating of Massachusetts, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said lawmakers have been warned for months of an emerging threat from homegrown extremists. He said al- Qaida is casting a wide net to radicalize individuals or small groups already in the country because of the significant advantages. "They're already here, so they don't have the hurdles of getting into the country, they know the country better. ... They know how to move around," Keating said. "The testimony we heard, things like this (the Ferdaus arrest) were inevitable." Ferdaus is accused of planning to use three remote control airplanes measuring up to 80 inches (200 centimeters) in length. Ferdaus allegedly planned to pack five pounds (2.27 kilograms) of explosives in each plane, while saving some of it to blow up bridges near the Pentagon. The planes, guided by GPS and capable of speeds greater than 100 mph (160 kph), would hit the Pentagon and blow the Capitol dome to "smithereens," according to Ferdaus' plan, detailed in the affidavit. Ferdaus then planned a follow-up automatic weapons attack with six people divided into two teams, according to the affidavit. At one point, according to recorded conversation detailed in the affidavit, Ferdaus told undercover agents that his desire to attack the United States was so strong, "I just can't stop. There is no other choice for me." According to the affidavit, Ferdaus traveled to Washington in June to do surveillance, and drew up a 1 5-phase attack plan. He also allegedly rented storage space to work on the planes in Framingham, telling the manager he planned to use the space for music. Asked at one point about possibly killing women and children, Ferdaus allegedly said all unbelievers of Islam were his enemies. Prosecutors also accuse Ferdaus of supplying the undercover agents with mobile phone devices he said could be used to remotely detonate explosives. When the undercover agents falsely told him the devices had been used to kill three U.S. soldiers in Iraq, he allegedly became visibly excited and said he felt "incredible. ... We're changing the world." Rezwan is unmarried and has no children, the affidavit said. He had at least one previous brush with the law. In 2003, The Boston Globe reported that he and two other Ashland High School seniors were accused in a vandalism spree at the school. ___ AP researcher Barbara Sambriski contributed to this report.
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2,890 comments
Roy 2 hours ago

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Hamsters in the cockpit!!!

2 hours ago

I really love the part where it says "the explosives were always under government control", yeah, just like Fast and Furious guns were always under control to Mexico....gotta love it...

Chevyracer about an hour ago

i want one of those planes, they look awesome

Mike 15 minutes ago

Kick this guy hard in the junque for me & my bride!

Yea_Right about an hour ago

ONE more idiot enjoying our freedoms while he plots to condemn them. One down - so many more to go.

Mexi 10 minutes ago

arab again ??? #$%$ u want huh

Holmes about an hour ago

I fly giant scale model airplanes as a hobby. Douche bags like this are going to ruin it for us.

Hitched 2 hours ago

Nice home and car. Who does he deal with to make that kind of money? Oh well, he can kiss that goodbye.

Truthinreporting 2 hours ago

Heck of a house, in Ashland yet, for a 26 year old 4 years out of Northeastern. Wonder where the money came from.

Zzzz about an hour ago

I have to wonder if he actually knows how to fly an RC jet... Those are not novice planes.

Albert 12 minutes ago

Anywhere it hit would have only left a dent in the Pentagon.. The U.S. should have long ago moved the capital to the middle of the country, like kansas city.. The capital being on the east coast makes it vunerable to ship artillary and missles.. In the middle of the country, the artillary / missles would have to go 2,000 miles..

Agent 2 hours ago

Blow up? By flying an RC plane into the pentagon? Perhaps he's watching too much Road Runner cartoons. His other plots included painting a tunnel on the side of a mountain and capturing a congressman with a giant box and a stick.

James 2 hours ago

I can't be the first person to have noticed this. The 1st photo, time stamped 18 02 2003, is not an F-86 Sabre Jet. It's an F-4 Phantom. The 2nd photo is a Sabre, but a Navy Sabre?

Euphamystic 2 hours ago

Not to minimize the seriousness of this affair, but, this loser is maybe? a shade smarter than the "Underwear Bomber" and the "Shoe Bomber". But, 5 lbs of C4 won't "blow the Capitol Building to smithereens". For a Physics student, he still seems like kind of a dumb@ss.

Dan 57 minutes ago

Rezwan is unmarried and has no children, the affidavit said. Good to know this piece of crap jihadist didn't breed!

WW 58 minutes ago

I notice the story never ONCE mentions where he's from?? Why is the press so scared of telling the truth?? I thought that was what "Journalism" was all about?? At least it mentions Jihadi and Islam, even getting that much is rare these days!!!

Bno about an hour ago

Thank goodness, Homeland Security and I assume the FBI are doing their job. I can't fathom the motives of a U.S. citizen trying to destroy his own country. Ship his #$%$ to Yemen so he can see how terrorists live.

Oceanboy about an hour ago

This idiot graduated from a respected university with a degree in physics?

UsualSuspect10 about an hour ago

Any terrorist act planned or perpetuated on U.S. soil on the part of a U.S. citizen should be deemed treason. No excuses.

JD_In_FL 2 hours ago

If the Pentagon can be blown up by remote controlled small toys, we are all in deep doo-doo!

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