Feds Say Public Was Never in Danger in Massachusetts Man’s Thwarted Terror Plot

Federal officials say the public was never in danger in a Massachusetts man’s alleged plot to blow up the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled airplanes filled with explosives.

They say the explosives delivered to Rezwan Ferdaus were always closely monitored.

The 26-year-old was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, as well as attempting to assist Al Qaeda in attacking U.S. troops overseas.

Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., was arrested Wednesday in Framingham after undercover FBI agents delivered weapons Ferdaus allegedly sought for the alleged plan. The stash included what he thought was 25 pounds of C-4 explosives, as well as three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault, a press release from the Department of Justice reads.

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The public was never in danger from the explosives, as undercover agents monitored the alleged plot and kept up frequent contact with Ferdaus, the press release read. {snip}

In recorded conversations, Ferdaus said he planned to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” that were guided by GPS equipment, the affidavit said. The plan called for three remote-controlled aircraft to carry out the attacks, along with six other gunmen divided into two teams, with Ferdaus coordinating the operation.

In May, Ferdaus traveled from Boston to Washington, D.C., to take photos of the Pentagon and Capitol for surveillance. He planned to launch the C4-filled aircraft from sites at the East Potomac Park, authorities allege, and an F-86 Sabre remote-controlled aircraft was delivered to Ferdaus’ storage facility in August.

Authorities say they gave Ferdaus multiple opportunities to back out of the plot, as they told him it would likely kill women and children. But Ferdaus never wavered in his plan, the affidavit said.

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Ferdaus, who graduated Northeastern University in 2008 with a degree in physics, is accused of beginning in early 2010 a plot to bring violent “jihad” against the U.S, who he described as “enemies of Allah.”

Ferdaus is also accused of supplying eight mobile phones to undercover FBI agents who he thought were recruiters for Al Qaeda. The phones were modified to be used as electrical switches for IEDs, and Ferdaus thought they could be used to kill American soldiers, the affidavit said. Ferdaus also allegedly made a training video to demonstrate how to make more of the weapons.

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“I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus’ conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion,” said Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “In addition to protecting our citizens from the threats and violence alleged today, we also have an obligation to protect members of every community, race and religion against violence and other unlawful conduct.”