BALTIMORE, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A Maryland man has been indicted for an alleged plot to blow up a military recruiting station.
Antonio Martinez, 21, a recent convert to Islam who changed his name to Muhammad Hussain, was charged by a federal grand jury Tuesday in Baltimore with attempted murder of federal officers and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, The Washington Post reported.
He is accused of trying to kill members of the military, whom he saw as enemies of Muslims. The FBI says it learned of Martinez's intentions from an informant, joined the plot and supplied him with a fake car bomb that he tried to detonate outside a center in Catonsville.
Defense attorney Joseph Balter said Martinez will plead not guilty and "vigorously contest the charges." He has raised entrapment as an issue.
Prosecutors assert the attack was Martinez's idea and he refused chances to back out. He did not work with any terrorist group, authorities said.
