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BREAKING: An FBI sting has netted a Moroccan man who was trying to blow himself up in the Capitol in Washington DC. He was arrested after 12:30 pm today in the Capitol. The man, Amine el-Khalifi, 29, was living in the US illegally. He was on an attempted suicide operation with the target being the Capitol. However, he was being tracked as part of an under-cover operation. The man thought he was about to detonate a suicide vest but the FBI knew it was inoperable. Federal officials say there was no danger to the public and he was always under complete observation. Apparently, he was acting alone and is not connected to a terrorist organization. He has been monitored since December however he thought he was dealing with Al Qaida operatives, according to the Washington Post:
The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, officials said.
A short time before the attack, he had been praying at a mosque in the Washington area. This is the latest in a string of so-called 'lone-wolf' operations in recent months, all ending as a result of an FBI sting like this. In September 2011, 26-year-old US citizen Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested for allegedly plotting to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol building.
The FBI statement on today's alleged attack:
The arrest was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement. Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public.
23Share
BREAKING: An FBI sting has netted a Moroccan man who was trying to blow himself up in the Capitol in Washington DC. He was arrested after 12:30 pm today in the Capitol. The man, Amine el-Khalifi, 29, was living in the US illegally. He was on an attempted suicide operation with the target being the Capitol. However, he was being tracked as part of an under-cover operation. The man thought he was about to detonate a suicide vest but the FBI knew it was inoperable. Federal officials say there was no danger to the public and he was always under complete observation. Apparently, he was acting alone and is not connected to a terrorist organization. He has been monitored since December however he thought he was dealing with Al Qaida operatives, according to the Washington Post:
The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, officials said.
A short time before the attack, he had been praying at a mosque in the Washington area. This is the latest in a string of so-called 'lone-wolf' operations in recent months, all ending as a result of an FBI sting like this. In September 2011, 26-year-old US citizen Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested for allegedly plotting to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol building.
The FBI statement on today's alleged attack:
The arrest was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement. Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public.
