An Ashburn, Va. man pled guilty in court Monday to charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, and to collecting information to assist in a terrorist attack on a transit facility.
Farooque Ahmed, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Lee to an agreed-upon term of 23 years in prison, followed by a 50-year term of supervised release.
Ahmed plotted to plant bombs at several locations around the Washington area with a group of conspirators that turned out to be an FBI sting operation. An undercover agent told Ahmed that he was planning on attacking three metro stations and a Washington, D.C. hotel. Authorities said that Ahmed agreed to conduct surveillance on these targets by making video recordings. Investigators said Ahmed later described to them the best way to attack the targets to inflict maximum casualties.
Ahmed is a naturalized U.S. citizen, originally from Pakistan.
"It's chilling that a man from Ashburn could admit to planning these acts of terrorism, and a 23-year sentence is a just punishment," said U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride. In the plot, the Arlington Cemetery, Courthouse, and Pentagon City metro stations were targeted.
According to the F.B.I. investigation, Ahmed handed over a USB drive containing his video surveillance, as well as 5 metro cards, to an agent posing as a terrorist.
He was arrested on October 27, 2010.
Over the past few years, the F.B.I has caught several would-be domestic terrorists in sting operations. Last November, the law enforcement agency arrested a Somali-born U.S. teenager, who was trying to blow up a tree lighting ceremony in Oregon. The F.B.I provided the man with fake explosives to carry out the plot. In 2009, four New York men were arrested for plotting to attack Jewish synagogues and to shoot missiles at U.S. military installations. Those plans had been introduced to them by F.B.I. agents posing as terrorists.
In a press release, the Department of Justice stressed that at no point was the public in danger during their sting operation involving Ahmed.
