It’s sounds like a rather scary plot was thwarted.
Federal authorities have arrested a man they say was plotting to attack the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City.
Authorities said the suspect, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, drove a van he believed to be loaded with a 1,000-pound bomb from Long Island to lower Manhattan and placed the van near the Federal Reserve Bank. He then allegedly tried to detonate explosives with a cellphone. He was arrested by the FBI and New York police.
The defendant faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida, officials said.
According to the FBI’s press release on the arrest, the accused went to a New York warehouse this morning, where he thought he was picking up a 1,000-pound bomb, and drove it to the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He boasted to an accomplice, who was actually an undercover agent, that he had a “Plan B” in place in case this attack was thwarted.
After parking the van, Nafis recorded a video statement, saying, “We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom.” Given that this was a sting operation, the public never faced any serious risk. It is not yet clear whether the suspect has counsel, and/or whether he will contest the charges.
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