<i>Now comes toy plane attack plot</i>
A US follower of al-Qaeda was arrested Wednesday on charges of planning to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled airplanes into the Pentagon and the US Capitol, authorities said.
Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was arrested and charged with plotting aerial and ground attacks on Washington and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in Boston.
He is also accused of modifying mobile phones for use as electrical switches in bombs to be used against US troops in Iraq.
He was arrested after he bought what he believed to be 25 pounds of plastic explosives, three grenades, six automatic assault rifles and even an F-86 remote-controlled aircraft from undercover FBI agents posing as al-Qaeda operatives.
The explosives and guns were provided Wednesday just before his arrest, law enforcement officials said.
Ferdaus bought one small drone aircraft and planned to buy others which he hoped to fill with explosives and fly into Pentagon and Capitol from a park along the Potomac River, they added.
Authorities described Ferdaus as a physics graduate from Northeastern University who was an enthusiastic fan of al-Qaeda and had been committed to "violent jihad" since early last year.
Little personal information was given out about the accused man, other than that he is unmarried and has no children. According to IANS, he used to play drums in a Massachusetts band under the name 'Bollywood'.
However, Ferdaus was under constant surveillance for the last 9 months and presented no actual danger, said Ortiz.
During this time the agents recorded multiple conversations in which Ferdaus laid out plans for the aerial attack. He also travelled to Washington to do surveillance taking pictures of his targets, the authorities added.
If convicted, Ferdaus faces up to 15 years in prison for supporting a foreign terrorist organization, up to 20 years for attempting to destroy national defence sites, and the same again for attempting to use explosives against buildings owned by the United States.
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