A Bangladeshi man pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in what authorities called a plot to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He faces up to life in prison under a plea agreement.
Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis (21) was arrested last October after pulling up to the Federal Reserve near Wall Street and attempting to detonate what he believed to be a 1,000lb (454kg) bomb hidden in a van. Instead, he was carrying inert materials planted by an undercover FBI agent as part of a sting operation.
“I no longer support violent jihad. I deeply regret my involvement in this case,” Nafis said at the hearing.
He had also been charged with a count of attempting to provide material support to a US-designated foreign terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda. His lawyer said that charge would be dropped at sentencing under the plea agreement, which sets a sentencing range between 30 years and life. Sentencing was set for May 30th.
Nafis entered the US in 2012 with a student visa, and travelled to Queens, New York. There, he scouted targets for a potential attack – including the New York Stock Exchange and President Barack Obama – settling eventually on the Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan.
– (Reuters)