FBI thwarts suicide bombing attack near US Capitol

WASHINGTON: An FBI sting operation resulted in the arrest near the US Capitol of a man who had explosives for a terror attack, law enforcement officials said.

The FBI confirmed the man had been detained following a long running FBI terrorism investigation, while media reports said he was Moroccan and had been apprehended in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a suicide attack.

“Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

The arrest was “in connection with a terrorism investigation,” and “was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement,” the FBI added.

Fox News reported that the suspect was of Moroccan descent and had expressed interest in an attack on the Capitol to undercover FBI agents, who he had thought were with al-qaeda.

The police force said it was intimately involved in the operation from the start, and “at no time was the public or congressional community in any danger”.

The Washington Post said the suspect was in his thirties and was picked up near Labour Department offices on his way to the Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack.

He was carrying with him a vest that he believed was packed with explosives but that actually contained harmless material. — AFP