Suspect ‘planned model plane attack’ on Pentagon

An American man arrested in Massachusetts has been charged with plotting to destroy the Pentagon and Congress by flying remote-controlled planes into the buildings.

Undercover agents detained him after delivering materials he had allegedly requested, including grenades, machine guns and explosives.

Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old physics graduate, has appeared briefly in court. He is suspected of planning to pack three remote-controlled model planes with explosives and fly them into their targets.

The charge sheet accuses him of attempting to destroy federal buildings and provide support to a foreign terrorist group, in this case al Qaeda.

A federal affidavit says Ferdaus, from Ashland near Boston, became convinced America was evil from websites and videos advocating jihad.

Investigators say the public was never in danger. However, it is claimed the planes, guided by GPS and capable of flying at over 100 miles an hour, would hit the Pentagon and blow the Capitol building’s dome “to smithereens”.

Ferdaus is accused of intending to follow up the attack with a ground assault involving six people armed with automatic weapons.

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