Updated on
Summary
A Pakistani-American was charged yesterday with plotting a terrorist attack near Washington that would have targeted the capital's subway system and could have led to mass casualties.The FBI said the man, who lived in Ashburn, Virginia, about 30 miles from Washington, was caught in a sting operation and believed that he was dealing with Al-Qaeda operatives but who were in fact FBI agents. Farooque Ahmed, 34, who was born in Pakistan and later became a US citizen, is accused of attempting to provide material support to Al-Qaeda and collecting information to help plan a terrorist attack on the subway that would have involved multiple bombings. Ahmed was charged with trying to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to help carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at DC area Metrorail stations. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, the Justice Department said. From April to Oct. 25 Ahmed allegedly conducted surveillance, videotaped, photographed, and drew diagrams of the Arlington Cemetery, Courthouse, Crystal City and Pentagon City Metrorail stations, and offered suggestions about where to place explosives to kill people in simultaneous attacks planned for 2011, the indictment said. He allegedly told an individual whom he believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda that between 4 pm and 5 pm (local time) would be the best time for an attack to cause the most casualties, the indictment said. Federal officials said that the public was never in any danger during the investigation and that federal authorities had closely monitored Ahmed's activities until his arrest.
