The planning to commit a terrorist act began in early 2010, according to the Justice Department. Mass. man charged in Pentagon plot

Undercover FBI agents arrested a U.S. citizen Wednesday in connection with a plot to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol using large, remote-controlled aircraft filled with C-4 plastic explosives.

Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was also charged with attempting to provide material support to Al Qaeda, in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas, the Justice Department announced in a news release. Ferdaus was arrested in Framingham, Mass.


Ferdaus, a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, began planning to commit a terrorist act in early 2010, according to the DoJ. He allegedly supplied mobile phones — modified to act as a trigger for an improvised electrical device — to undercover FBI agents who he believed to be members of Al Qaeda.

Told the devices would be used to kill Americans stationed overseas, he responded, “That was exactly what I wanted.” The DoJ said Ferdaus, who thought his detonation devices had been used to kill Americans, was anxious to know whether they had worked, and how many Americans were killed.

According to an affadavit, Ferdaus told the agents of his desire to attack the U.S., “I just can’t stop; there is no other choice for me.”

In January 2011, Ferdaus told the agents he planned to attack the Pentagon using “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS. This May and June, he delivered detailed plans to undercover agents with step-by-step instructions on how he hoped to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol.

After a May trip from Boston to Washington, D.C. to conduct surveillance, Ferdaus expanded his plans to include a ground assault. He planned for six people to attack targets after the explosions, with automatic firearms.

Ferdaus had ordered and acquired a remote-controlled aircraft, an F-86 Sabre, for use in his planned attacks.

On Wednesday undercover agents delivered fake C4 explosives, grenades and AK-47s to a storage unit that Ferdaus possessed. After he brought the items to a storage unit and locked them inside, he was arrested.

The public was never in danger from the plot, the DoJ stressed in the release.

“Our top priority is to protect our nation from terrorism and national security threats. 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. Thanks to the diligence of the FBI and our many other law enforcement partners, that plan was thwarted,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz in a statement.