A U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi descent has pleaded guilty to plotting to attack the U.S. Pentagon and the Congress headquarters with the explosives-laden remote-controlled model airplanes, BBC reported on Saturday.
A Muslim born Rezwan Ferdaus, who defines himself as al-Qaida supporter, planned to damage the U.S. government buildings by throwing off the bombs from the model airplanes, but was arrested in September 2011 when he ordered delivery of six assault rifles, three grenades and explosives from undercover FBI agents that he believed were al-Qaida members, NBC said.
According to BBC, Ferdaus told the undercover FBI officers that he had been planning jihad against the United States since 2010, because he had been inspired by the jihadist websites and videos that portrayed all the non-followers of Islam as Allah’s enemies.
The physics graduate from Boston's Northeastern University, Ferdaus called the Pentagon "the head and heart of the snake" and said he wanted to destroy the "enemies of Allah", BBC said, citing an affidavit released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The would-be bomber has initially faced six charges, but prosecutors dropped four of them after he has agreed to cooperate with the investigators and has pleaded guilty.
Ferdaus may be sentenced to 17-year-imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for November 1.
