Feds arrest Muslim allegedly heading to U.S. Capitol for suicide mission

[socal]

Authorities have arrested a man allegedly on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack on one of the nation's most symbolic landmarks, Fox News has learned exclusively.
The man, in his 30s and of Moroccan descent, was nabbed following a lengthy investigation by the FBI, initiated after he expressed interest in conducting an attack. It's unclear how the FBI learned of his aspirations.
The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him in his plot were associates of Al Qaeda.

• 
  Shown here is the alley near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where a man was arrested on his way, authorities said, to conduct what he thought was a suicide attack on the Capitol.

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When he was arrested Friday in Washington, he was carrying with him a vest supposedly packed with explosives, but the material inside was not actually dangerous, Fox News was told.
A short time earlier, he had been praying at a mosque in the Washington area. His destination was Capitol Hill.
The public was never in danger, as he had been under constant surveillance for some time, officials said. The FBI provided the suspect with a disabled gun during their ongoing operation, Fox News has learned.
In a statement that did not get into the details of the alleged plot, the U.S. Capitol Police said the suspect was "closely and carefully monitored." Capitol Police confirmed the suspect was arrested on Friday.
"At no time was the public or congressional community in any danger," the department said.
A senior source involved with law enforcement at the Capitol also told Fox News the investigation was "all very controlled." The source said the U.S. Capitol Police was involved with the FBI and other agencies in tracking the suspect "not more than a year."
An arrest usually indicates charges have been filed in some form, but it's unclear when or how charges would have been filed in this case. It's also unclear if the suspect will be appearing in court Friday. In similar past cases, suspects have made their initial court appearance within hours of their arrest.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers in leadership positions had been briefed on the investigation, though rank-and-file members did not appear to have prior knowledge of the case.
Sites in Washington have long been a target for terrorists, especially self-radicalized extremists caught in FBI stings.
In September, a Massachusetts man was arrested for allegedly plotting to fly bomb-laden model planes into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. FBI agents claiming to be associates of Al Qaeda provided 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus with what he thought was explosive material for the remote-controlled planes.
Nearly a year earlier, a Virginia man was arrested for trying to help Al Qaeda plan multiple bombings against Washington's Metrorail system. For months, 34-year-old Farooque Ahmed of Ashburn, Va., had been meeting and discussing "jihad" with individuals he thought were affiliated with Al Qaeda, but in fact he was meeting with FBI agents.
In the past year alone, at least 20 people have been arrested in the United States on terrorism-related charges, according to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
"Most of the arrests" have involved "lone wolves," radicalized online and able to use the Internet to build bombs, FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate committee last month.
At the time of Ahmed's arrest in October 2010, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Neil MacBride, said the case showcases "our ability to find those seeking to harm U.S. citizens and neutralize them before they can act."
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Read more: Exclusive: Feds Arrest Man Allegedly Heading To U.S. Capitol For Suicide Mission After Sting Investigation | Fox News

[Spin]

Borderline entrapment?

[harrybarracuda]

Who cares? Send the c**t to rot in Guantanamo.

[dirtydog]

Borderline entrapment?

Seems to be not so much borderline, FBI supplied the fake gun, the vest etc etc etc.

[socal]

Borderline entrapment?

He entered the country illegally so he has no rights.

[OhOh]

Rather inept piece of journalism. No facts except a man "heading towards" the capitol, is that a cinema, is arrested for having a bag containing some clothes and a bag of sugar.

He just happens to be a muslim.

What a country!

he had been under constant surveillance for some time

Does that mean more than ten seconds or less?

a disabled gun during their ongoing operation

Which was that handed back to the agents at Thanksgiving?

"closely and carefully monitored.

They have the cctv tapes to prove it. No question of their authenticity.

with the FBI and other agencies in tracking the suspect "not more than a year."

But more than ten seconds?

What moronic posting!

[bsnub]

^ What do you expect from fox news?

[FailSafe]

A little more info (the investigation had been going on two months):

Moroccan man charged with plot to bomb U.S. Capitol



WASHINGTON – A 29-year-old illegal immigrant from Morocco was arrested and charged Friday with an alleged plot to carry out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol Building.

• By Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Capitol Police officer Trevor O'Neill guards the Capitol in Washington on Friday after an FBI sting operation foiled an alleged bomb attack.

Amine El Khalifi, who had been living in Alexandria, Va., was apprehended while on his way to carry out the alleged attack armed with an automatic weapon and an explosive vest device, according to federal court documents. Neither of the devices was working, however — El Khalifi had obtained them from undercover federal agents, who had rendered them useless.

"Amine El Khalifi sought to blow himself up in the U.S. Capitol Building," said Neil MacBride, the chief federal prosecutor in Northern Virginia. "El Khalifi believed he was working with al-Qaeda and devised the plot, the targets and methods on his own."

Following his arrest, El Khalifi made his initial court appearance before U.S. District Judge T. Rawles Jones Jr. If convicted, the suspect faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Prior to his arrest Friday, El Khalifi had been the subject of a two-month undercover FBI investigation after agents were alerted to the suspect by an unidentified informant.

The informant told the FBI, according to court documents, that the suspect "sought to be associated with an armed extremist group."

In December, El Khalifi was allegedly introduced to an undercover agent, posing as an al-Qaeda associate. The meeting led to discussions about plans to attack a D.C.-area restaurant, followed by an assault on a military installation.

Last month, according to court documents, El Khalifi allegedly modified his plans, choosing the U.S. Capitol Building instead of the restaurant as a target of a suicide bombing.

Posing as terror associates, undercover agents staged a test bombing at a West Virginia quarry on Jan. 15, when El Khalifi allegedly "expressed a desire for a larger explosion in his attack."

At that time, El Khalifi is alleged to have personally selected Feb. 17 as the date of the operation and in the month before conducted surveillance at the Capitol and chose the location where he planned to launch the attack.

"El Khalifi also asked (the informant) to remotely detonate the bomb he would be wearing on the day of the attack if El Khalifi encountered problems with security officers, and to provide El Khalifi with a gun that he could use during the attack to shoot any officers who might stop him," the documents stated.

Moroccan man charged with plot to bomb U.S. Capitol

[socal]

^ What do you expect from fox news?

So ur a fan of the BBC ?

[OhOh]

So is it legal for the US security force to invite people to become terrorists and then prosecute them?

Does the US not have an "incitement to commit a terrorist act" law?

D'oh! I have just read what I've written. If they did, half the government would be in jail. My apologies.

[FailSafe]

So is it legal for the US security force to invite people to become terrorists and then prosecute them?

No, it's not- law enforcement officials cannot provoke someone into committing a crime- however, if a suspect is already planning to commit a crime of his own free will and the officers pose as people who can help to facilitate that crime, then that's considered legal- it's about whether coercion has occurred.

Potential pedophiles, i.e., are often captured in the same manner- it's better to get to them before they can assault a child rather than after.

[Rural Surin]

Borderline entrapment?

He entered the country illegally so he has no rights.

You jest. Today, illegals generally have more rights than natives.

[OhOh]

it's about whether coercion has occurred

This "occurrence of coercion", is this decided by the juries prior to being encouraged by the FBI or is it decided, by the juries, based on the evidence provided by the FBI?

Do you know what decisions are required and by whom the decision are made, to proceed with this type of operation?

[FailSafe]

it's about whether coercion has occurred

This "occurrence of coercion", is this decided by the juries prior to being encouraged by the FBI or is it decided, by the juries, based on the evidence provided by the FBI?

Juries aren't convened prior to criminal charges being filed- after that, both sides will have their chance to present evidence in the case (and the defendant will have a chance to prove coercion).

[harrybarracuda]

If the bloke was willing to take explosives and try and kill people, I don't give a fuck if he's dealing with the FBI or Al Qaeda.

As long as he was stopped and never gets the opportunity to do it again, fucking A.