Grand Jury Indicts Ashland Man In Terror Probe

A federal grand jury has indicted the 26-year-old Ashland man who was arrested Wednesday and charged with a plot to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.

Rezwan Ferdaus, a Northeastern graduate who majored in physics, believed he was working with al-Qaida when in fact it was the FBI.

The charges, if not the case, are straightforward. The associated penalties are long and harsh.

The charges: attempting to damage and destroy a federal building by means of an explosive; attempting to damage and destroy nation-defense premises; receipt of explosive materials and non-registered firearms; attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The indictment says Ferdaus told FBI undercover agents, "I want to totally destroy and take out the enemy and kill as many kafir (non-believers) as possible."