Man Arrested in Plot to Attack Federal Reserve
A 21-year-old Bangladesh native was arrested Wednesday morning after allegedly attempting to detonate what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan, said the Department of Justice and U.S. District Attorney.
The suspect, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, was arrested as a result of a sting operation conducted by the FBI and NYPD as part of the Joint Terrorism Force, in which the FBI sold Nafis fake explosives.
Nafis arrived in the United States in January, allegedly with the plan of carrying out a terror attack on U.S. soil. While attempting to recruit others to join him, Nafis ended up unknowingly recruiting an FBI source, according to the criminal complaint filed.
Nafis met with the uncover agent on Wednesday morning and retrieved what he thought to be explosives. He then drove from his home in Long Island to lower Manhattan where he parked his van near the Federal Reserve. After trying to put together the detonator, Nafis attempted to detonate the bomb.
The defendent will face charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda, officials said.
Law enforcement officials stressed that the public was never at risk.
The Federal Reserve Bank, located in Manhattan's financial district, is the largest of the 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve system. The building enforces strict security and all visitors are subject to security screenings before entering the bank.
