A carefully concocted FBI sting operation ended the evil intentions of a Moroccan man, who was charged in conjunction with a terrorist plot against the U.S. Capitol.
29-year-old Amine el-Khalifi was arrested Friday in Washington, DC after an undercover FBI operation halted his criminal intentions. Khalifi told acquaintances last January that he thought America’s “war on terrorism” was actually a “war on Muslims” and that all Muslims needed to be ready for war. So he took matters into his own hands and operated as a lone wolf to bring about his own idea of justice.
According to court documents, Khalifi went to the U.S. Capitol along with 2 undercover operatives, carrying an automatic weapon meant to kill security officers inside the building. He wore a bomb-laden vest, which he intended to detonate once inside, allowing him to die as a martyr. Khalifi wanted to kill at least 30 people and had considered several other targets, including a synagogue, before settling on the Capitol. But his plot was foiled, as officials said “The explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public.”
Khalifi came to the United States when he was 16-years-old and is not currently believed to be associated with al-Qaeda. But he was under the impression he was working with al-Qaeda operatives in the sting operation. The case against him includes charges that he knowingly and unlawfully attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction against property that is owned and used by the United States. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
