BOSTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly plotting to use an explosives-packed drone to attack the U.S. Capitol and Pentagon, authorities said.
Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, of Ashland, also was charged with trying to provide material support and resources to al-Qaida to help the terrorist organization carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas, the U.S. Justice Department said in a release.
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in Boston that Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, "had long planned to commit violent acts against our country, including attacks on the Pentagon and our nation's Capitol" but was foiled by the undercover work of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
Authorities said Ferdaus was closely monitored as the alleged lot was hatched and the public wasn't in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees.
Ferdaus was described by authorities as a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics who began plotting violent "jihad" against the United States in early 2010. He allegedly converted cellphones to work as electrical switches for improvised explosive devices and gave them to undercover FBI contacts, thinking they were to be used by al-Qaida to kill American soldiers overseas.
When told during a June 2011 meeting that one of his phone detonation devices had killed three U.S. soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq, Ferdaus allegedly replied, "That was exactly what I wanted."
He also allegedly came up with the idea of attacking the Pentagon and Capitol with three remote-controlled airplanes filled with explosives with the goal of inflicting a large "psychological" impact by killing Americans, who he referred to as "enemies of Allah."
He allegedly went through extensive planning for the attacks and expressed his determination, saying "I just can't stop; there is no other choice for me."
During a sting operation, authorities led him to believe he would be given 25 pounds of C-4 explosives, a half-dozen fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and an F-86 remote-controlled aircraft.
