US man held over Pentagon and Capitol bomb plot

Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was also charged with attempting to provide support and resources to al Qaeda group in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers stationed overseas, the US attorney’s office in Boston said.

He was caught in an undercover sting operation that had been planned for months, officials claimed.

“The conduct alleged today shows that Mr. Ferdaus had long planned to commit violent acts against our country,” U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a statement.

“The public was never in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees,” she said.

Authorities allege that Ferdaus, a physics graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, began planning to commit a violent “jihad” against the United States in early 2010.

Ferdaus is accused with modifying mobile phones to act as electrical switches for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

He allegedly supplied the phones to the undercover FBI agents, who he believed were members of, or recruiters for, al Qaeda.

Authorities claim Ferdaus told agents he planned to attack the Pentagon using “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS equipment. The US attorney’s office said he later expanded that plan to include an attack on the U.S. Capitol.

If convicted, Mr Ferdaus could face up to 15 years in jail for providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization and up to 20 years in prison for attempting to destroy national defence premises.