WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Loewen, who fell into a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation, was arrested in December 2013 as he tried to enter Wichita Mid-Continent Airport to explode a bomb.
“Terry Lee Loewen, 59, of Wichita, pleaded guilty today to one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction,” the Justice Department said on Monday.
According to the guilty plea, Loewen admitted to becoming friends with a person on a jihadist Facebook website, where he first came to the attention of the FBI.
Undercover FBI agents began communicating with Loewen, who worked at the Wichita airport, during which time he expressed his desire to carry out a terrorist attack at the airport.
Later Loewen met with an undercover FBI agent, who he thought would help him carry out an attack.
“Loewen said he had scouted the airport to determine a time and place for an attack that would be sure to kill as many people as possible.”
Loewen then proceeded with the undercover FBI agent to assemble an inactive bomb before being arrested while trying to use his employee badge to enter the airport and carry out an attack.
Under the plea deal, both sides agreed to a recommended sentence of 20 years in prison.
