FBI foils alleged plan to bomb U.S. Federal Reserve

The FBI on Wednesday arrested a Bangladeshi man in a sting operation on charges he attempted to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank with what he believed was a 450-kilogram bomb, federal authorities said.

Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al Qaida, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

In an undated photo, the 21-year-old is seen in a black T-shirt and earphones.  

Reuters obtained the photo from social media website, Twitter.  

The FBI said the public was not in danger because the  explosives provided to Nafis were never in working condition and the suspect was closely monitored by the undercover agent —highlighting a script law enforcement has employed several times this year in similar cases, including one in Washington and another in Ohio.

In an initial appearance in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Nafis wore a plain brown crew-neck T-shirt, dark-coloured jeans and sneakers. He barely spoke during the brief hearing, mumbling answers of “yes” to questions from U.S. magistrate Judge Roanne Mann.

According to the criminal complaint, Nafis travelled to the United States in January 2012. Once in New York, he claimed to be in contact with al Qaida members overseas, although federal agents found no evidence that he was working for al Qaida or that he was directed by the organization, according to a U.S. official who declined to be named.

Nafis considered several targets for his attack, including the New York Stock Exchange and a high-ranking government official, whom the U.S. official identified as President Barack Obama.

In the end, the criminal complaint said, Nafis decided to focus on the Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan, which stands like a limestone and sandstone fortress atop what is believed to be one of the world’s largest stockpiles of gold.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today