Feds Foil Remote-Controlled Terror Attack on Washington

[MuffyBee]

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-foil-remote-controlled-plane-terror-attack-washington/story?id=14626433
Feds Foil Remote-Controlled Terror Attack on Washington
September 28, 2011

A Massachusetts man was arrested today for allegedly masterminding a plot to hit the nation's capital with explosive-laden remote-controlled airplanes followed by a ground assault, the Department of Justice said.

Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old U.S. citizen and Northeastern University graduate, was nabbed in an elaborate FBI sting after he told undercover officers exactly how he planned to arm "small drone airplanes" with explosives in order to hit the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol building before opening fire on the survivors, federal officials said in a statement.

"The conduct alleged today shows that Mr. Ferdaus had long planned to commit violent acts against our country, including attacks on the Pentagon and our nation's Capitol [building]. Thanks to the diligence of the FBI and our many other law enforcement partners, that plan was thwarted," U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz said.
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"Although Ferdaus was presented with multiple opportunities to back out of his plan, including being told that his attack would likely kill women and children, the affidavit alleges that Ferdaus never wavered in his desire to carry out the attacks," the DOJ said.

Ferdaus has been charged in connection to the plot as well as attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda.

An attorney for Ferdaus, Cathy Byrne, was not available for comment for this report.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44705648/ns/us_news-security/#.ToOpbuy8sng
Mass. man accused of plotting attack on Pentagon, Capitol
Suspect planned violent 'jihad' against US, federal prosecutors say
September 28, 2011


This photo released by the U.S. Attorney's Office shows a remote-controlled model of a plane that allegedly belonged to Rezwan Ferdaus, who was arrested on charges of planning to fly explosive-packed, remote- controlled airplanes into the Pentagon and the Capitol.

— A Massachusetts man was arrested and charged Wednesday with plotting to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol with a remote-controlled aircraft filled with plastic explosives, federal officials said.

Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, of Ashland, was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Qaida in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers stationed overseas.

Ferdaus was arrested Wednesday in Framingham when undercover federal agents delivered materials he had requested for his alleged plan, including grenades, six machine guns and what Ferdaus believed was C-4 explosive.

According to a federal affidavit, Ferdaus said he wanted to deal a psychological blow to Americans, the "enemies of Allah," by hitting the Pentagon, which he called "head and heart of the snake."

In a conversation with a federal informant, Ferdaus allegedly explained how in ancient times, God uses natural disasters to punish evil civilizations, and he would use them today. "For us, we've gotta do that," he said, according to the affidavit. "Allah has given us the privilege ... he punishes them by our hand. We're the ones."

Ferdaus is a U.S. citizen who graduated from Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, according to the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.
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The public was never in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees, Ortiz said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/09/alleged-terror-plotter-indicted-federal-grand-jury/OevOhHc4o1VwcQABMplHIN/index.html
Rezwan Ferdaus is indicted for alleged plot to attack Capitol, Pentagon
September 29, 2011



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Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was indicted on charges of attempting to damage and destroy a federal building by means of an explosive, attempting to damage and destroy national defense premises, receiving firearms and explosive materials, and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and a terrorist organization.

“With the goal of terrorizing the United States, decapitating its ‘military center,’ and killing as many ‘kafirs’ (an Arabic term meaning non-believers) as possible, Ferdaus extensively planned and took substantial steps to bomb the United States Pentagon and United State Capitol Building using remote controlled aircraft filled with explosives,” the indictment said.

He is slated to appear in US District Court in Worcester on Monday for a detention hearing.

Ferdaus is a US citizen and a Northeastern University graduate whose only known previous crime was vandalism,.

Prosecutors said that, inspired by Al Qaeda, Ferdaus plotted to send a remote-controlled aircraft carrying explosives into the Pentagon and the US Capital “to kill as many people as possible.” He also allegedly planned to wage a ground assault.
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Prosecutors said Ferdaus modified mobile phones to act as electrical switches for improvised explosive devices and that he gave eight of them to FBI undercover agents, who he thought were Al Qaeda recruiters. According to an affidavit filed Wednesday by an FBI agent in the case, when told that one of the devices had killed three US soldiers and injured at least four others in Iraq, he exclaimed, “That was exactly what I wanted.’’

Prosecutors said that Ferdaus had already hatched a plan to attack federal buildings before he met the undercover agents in March 2011. He later traveled to Washington, D.C., and took pictures of the Pentagon and the Capitol. He subsequently received at least $7,000 from the agents to purchase a remote-controlled plane about the size of a human body. The agents also delivered 25 pounds of C-4 explosives, three grenades, and six AK-47 assault rifles to Ferdaus.

He planned to recruit other men to shoot at people fleeing the Pentagon, prosecutors said. Ferdaus obtained the plane in August. He then had the undercover agents deliver the explosive materials and guns Wednesday to a storage facility in Framingham that he had rented to plan his attacks. Once he took possession of the materials, he was arrested.
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[MuffyBee]

http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-30/news/30230046_1_mosque-official-remote-controlled-planes-explosive-device
At mosque, suspect’s views led to ouster
Ashland man described as disaffected, bitter
September 30, 2011

The Ashland man who allegedly plotted to fly explosive-laden, remote-controlled airplanes into federal buildings in Washington, D.C., was asked to leave a Roxbury mosque last year because of his radical Islamic views and suspected support of Al Qaeda, a mosque official said yesterday.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/03/national/main20115014.shtml
Accused D.C. drone bomber pleads not guilty
October 3, 2011

(AP)

WORCESTER, Mass. - A Massachusetts man pleaded not guilty Monday to plotting to fly explosives-packed remote-controlled model planes into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.

The bail hearing that had been scheduled for 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland was delayed for several weeks because his lawyer, Catherine Byrne, asked for more time to prepare.

Authorities said Ferdaus, a Muslim American with a physics degree from Northeastern University, was arrested in Framingham last week after federal agents posing as al Qaeda members delivered what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive. They said the public was never in danger from the plot.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/10/07/maine_airplane_modeler_queried_by_terror_suspect/
Maine airplane modeler queried by terror suspect
October 7, 2011

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine—A Maine man who sells model airplanes from his Presque Isle garage says a man now facing charges of planning to use a remote controlled airplane in a terror plot tried to buy a model plane from him.

Mike Beaulieu says Rezwan Ferdaus tried to buy a large model plane that costs between $5,000 and $8,000 saying he wanted to fly it with his son.

Beaulieu says he discouraged the man, who used the name Dave Winfield, from buying such an expensive plane when he was just starting off in modeling.
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