TerrorismBangladeshi man pleads guilty to trying to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank building

Published 8 February 2013

A Bangladeshi man who triedattempted to use a weapon of mass destruction to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank has pleaded guilty to the charges. Under the plea agreement, he will faces up to life in prison.

Quazi Nafis' father, holding son's photo, charges 'rascist conspiracy' in conviction // Source: farfesh.com

A Bangladeshi man who tried to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank has pleaded guilty to the charges. Under the plea agreement, he will face up to life in prison.

Nafis’ father denied that his son was involved with al Qaeda and said his son is the victim of a “racist conspiracy.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, was arrested  last October when he tried to detonate a 1,000 pound bomb hidden in a van he parked next to the Federal Reserve building. There were no explosives in the van, however:  FBI agents,as part of a sting operation, filed the van with inert materials which looked like explosives.

 Nafis was also charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.

I no longer support violent jihad. I deeply regret my involvement in this case,” Nafis said at the hearing. The sentencing was set for 30 May.

According to an unsealed criminal complaint in October, Nafis came to the United States in 2012 with a student visa and eventually traveled to Queens, New York.

While in New York, Nafis scouted potential targets to attack, which included the New York Stock Exchange and President Barack Obama, but eventually settled on the Federal Reserve Bank.

Nafis tried to find help for his plot and discussed his plans over Facebook and other social media sites. Nafis also claims that he was in contact with al Qaeda operatives overseas and sought out al Qaeda connections in the United States.