Political India: Engaging America

Rezwan Ferdaus (26) of Ashland, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty to charges that he planned to bomb the Pentagon and Capitol building using miniature “drone” aircraft laden with C-4 explosive. He also hoped to launch a Mumbai-style ground assault with a team of six men, according to court documents.

Formal charges

The formal charges against Ferdaus, a physics graduate of Northeastern University who was also rock band drummer nicknamed “Bollywood,” included attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda with the aim of facilitating attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas; attempting to destroy national defence premises; and attempting to destroy buildings owned by the U.S. using explosives.

Ferdaus was arrested by FBI agents last week at the culmination of what appeared to be a lengthy sting operation. Undercover officers supplied Ferdaus with an unspecified amount of what he thought was C-4 explosive, an F-86 small drone aircraft, three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles.

Delayed for weeks

Ferdaus' bail hearing was said to have been delayed for several weeks after his lawyer, Catherine Byrne, requested more time to prepare his defence. Ms. Byrne said the prosecution's case was “orchestrated and facilitated by the government,” adding that Ferdaus' legal team had asked for additional time to “present a more complete picture of what happened”.

According to reports, a group of nearly a dozen family members and friends attended Ferdaus' court appearance. Several women, including his mother, were said to have wept as the charges against him were read, shouting “We love you!” as he was led out of the courtroom; and he quietly answered, “I love you, too.”

More information

More information on Ferdaus' background also emerged since his arrest last week, with prosecutors, former classmates, and religious leaders describing Ferdaus as “someone who went from playing the drums, quoting [Mahatma] Gandhi, and promoting peace to decrying conversations between men and women, criticising interfaith efforts, and calling for the death of any... nonbeliever.”

Further Ferdaus was reportedly told to leave this mosque because of his radical behaviour. Atif Harden, a spokesperson for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Boston where Ferdaus prayed, was quoted as saying, “He was rare. No one has ever in our mosque said ‘Oh yeah, [al Qaeda] are wonderful' except him.”

The use of model aircraft as terror weapons has also received some attention following Ferdaus' arrest, since there are no restrictions on their purchase, and others could obtain them as easily on the Internet as Ferdaus did.

However counterterrorism experts and model-aircraft hobbyists reportedly said, “It would be nearly impossible to inflict large-scale damage of the sort Ferdaus allegedly envisioned [because] the aircraft are too small, can't carry enough explosives and are too tricky to fly.”

While drone strikes have thus far been the bane of militants residing in the remote tribal belt of Pakistan, this week they were almost deployed to take out the Pentagon and the Capitol.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Wednesday that Rezwan Ferdaus (26), a U.S. citizen from Ashland, Massachusetts, had been charged in connection with a plot to destroy the key federal government buildings using large radio-controlled F-86 Sabre aircraft filled with what he thought was C-4 plastic explosive.

Ferdaus, said to be a graduate of Northeastern University, was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda with the aim of facilitating attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas; attempting to destroy national defence premises; and attempting to destroy buildings owned by the U.S. using explosives.

According to a cooperating witness in an apparent sting operation by the FBI, Ferdaus stated in January 2011 that he planned to attack the Pentagon using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS equipment.

Outlining his planned attack in chilling detail, Ferdaus told undercover officers: “With this aerial assault, we can effectively eliminate key locations of the P-building. Then we can add to it in order to take out everything else and leave one area only as a squeeze where the individuals will be isolated. They'll be vulnerable and we can dominate.”

In a statement, the FBI underscored Ferdaus' determination to execute his plan despite being presented with multiple opportunities to back out, including being told that his attack would likely kill women and children.

Instead, Ferdaus invoked the option of a Mumbai-style ground attack to complement the aerial strike, and reportedly told federal agents that once he isolated individuals in the two buildings into “one area only as a squeeze,” he would ensure that a six-man team armed with assault rifles would “open up on them” and “keep firing” to create “chaos” and “take out” everyone.

As part of the operation, conducted by more than 30 federal, state, and local agencies on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, agents supplied Ferdaus with an unspecified amount of “C-4 explosives,” an F-86 small drone aircraft, three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles. In the course of the investigation, Ferdaus also delivered eight detonation devices to the undercover officers and a training video demonstrating how to make cell phone detonators.

At his final meeting with officers on Wednesday at which Ferdaus inspected the components, brought them to his storage unit and took possession of the entire inventory, he was arrested, the FBI said in a statement. It added that at no point in time was the public in any danger from explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees.

No community targeted

Prosecuting officials were quick to dispel any notion that the sting operation against Ferdaus had targeted any larger community. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said: “I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community, or religion.”

If convicted, Ferdaus faces a total of up to 55 years in prison for all three charges and a $250,000 fine.