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Feds: Mass. Man Planned To Blow Up Pentagon

A 26-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested and accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with large remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives.

A "like" photo, attached to the affidavit, of the aircraft Ferdaus allegedly was planning on using to attack the Pentagon (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office)
A "like" photo, attached to the affidavit, of the aircraft Ferdaus allegedly was planning on using to attack the Pentagon (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office)

Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland was arrested Wednesday in Framingham when undercover federal agents delivered materials he'd requested for his alleged plan, including grenades, six machine guns and what Ferdaus believed was C-4 explosive.

Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen and Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, made an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the federal affidavit, Ferdaus began planning "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010. He allegedly believed he would have a large psychological impact by killing Americans, who he described as "enemies of Allah."

Ashland town records indicate that he's lived there for 13 years with his brother and parents.

With additional reporting by the WBUR Newsroom

-- Here's the FBI's affidavit (on Scribd):

http://www.scribd.com/doc/66732202/Terror-Plot-Affidavit-Against-Rezwan-Ferdaus

This article was originally published on September 28, 2011.

This program aired on September 28, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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