Suspect Arrested in Capitol Suicide Bombing Plot

On Friday, a 29-year-old Moroccan man who had an alleged plan to detonate a suicide vest at the U.S. Capitol was arrested by federal authorities at a nearby parking garage. This is the latest in a succession of terrorist-related arrests by FBI undercover sting operations.

Amine El Khalifi of Alexandria, Va., was taken into custody with inactive explosives and an inoperable gun that he believed was provided by al-Qaida but was instead provided by undercover agents as part of a year-long FBI investigation.

According to a counterterrorism official, El Khalifi intended to kill at least 30 people and considered attacking several targets before settling on the Capitol. These included a building in Alexandria, a Washington restaurant patronized by military personnel, and a synagogue.

That afternoon, he made a brief court appearance in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, looking solemn and holding his arms behind his back. He was subsequently charged with knowingly and unlawfully attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against government property, and if convicted faces life imprisonment. A bail hearing was set for Khalifi at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

According to a January 2011 FBI affidavit , a confidential source informed authorities that El Khalifi had a meeting with other individuals at a residence in Arlington, Va. During that meeting, a person who produced what appeared to be several weapons and ammunition stated that, "war on terrorism was a war on Muslims", El Khalifi allegedly expressed agreement and stated that the group needed to be ready for war.

Amine El Khalifi entered the U.S. at the age of 16 in 1999 under a visitor's visa. He had overstayed his visa for years and is unemployed. After failing to pay the rent, he was eventually evicted from an Arlington apartment in 2010.

The landlord of that apartment, Frank Dynda, was suspicious of El Khalifi and alerted the Arlington police a year and a half ago. Though two officers visited Dynda's apartment building, they reported that there was no reason to pursue the matter further.

Based on the packages left for him, his former landlord believed that El Khalifi had several men living in the apartment. Dynda said, "He was getting mysterious packages labeled 'books', but I didn't think there were books in them."

Police are also close to arresting one of El Khalifi's associates who is also an illegal Moroccan national on charges unrelated to the alleged terrorist attempt says a counterterrorism official. There are also on-going police investigations on his other associates but not because authorities believe that they were conspirators in the attempted terrorist plot, the official continued.