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D.C. metro bomb plotter gets 23 years

Farooque Ahmed, as seen in a photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Farooque Ahmed, as seen in a photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- The man accused of plotting to bomb Washington's subway last year was sentenced to 23 years in prison, the FBI announced in Washington.

The FBI announced that Farooque Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, was sentenced to a 23 years in jail and 50 years of supervised release after he issued a guilty plea to charges related to a plot to bomb Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area.

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Ahmed first drew the FBI's attention when he began expressing an interest in waging war against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In September, Ahmed allegedly told undercover agents he "might be ready" to travel to the Afghanistan-Pakistan battlefront by January. He believed the agents were al-Qaida operatives and suggested they travel with him to Saudi Arabia in preparation for martyrdom operations, the FBI said.

U.S. officials said Ahmed was determined to "kill as many people as possible" in multiple attacks in the nation's capital.

"This individual followed a twisted, radical ideology outside that of the mainstream Muslim community which led him to break the law," said James McJunkin, assistant director of the FBI's office in Washington, in a statement. "He now faces the consequences of his actions."

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The FBI said at no time was the American public in danger, adding it was aware of Ahmed's actions before the alleged attempt on Washington.

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