A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for a plot to attack the Pentagon and the US Capitol building in Washington with explosives loaded into remote- control model aircraft.
Rezwan Ferdaus, who was arrested in September 2011 and pleaded guilty in July to terrorism-related charges in a deal with prosecutors, told the court he has devoted a lot of time to self-reflection while in jail awaiting sentencing and that he accepted his fate.
Ferdaus (26) was arrested after an FBI sting operation in which he requested and took delivery of plastic explosives, three grenades and six assault rifles from undercover FBI agents whom he believed were members of al-Qaeda.
Ferdaus read from a two- page, sometimes flowery, statement in court yesterday.
As he was led into court, handcuffed, with close- cropped hair and a beard, about two dozen members of his family and friends cheered and said: “We love you, we support you.”
The 17-year sentence, which also includes 10 years of supervised release, was the result of a July plea agreement worked out between his attorneys and prosecutors.
Ferdaus pleaded guilty to attempting to destroy and damage a federal building and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.
Prosecutors dropped four other counts that could have raised the total possible sentence to 35 years.
“My son is innocent,” Ana Maria Ferdaus, told reporters outside court. “We are the best family that America will ever have.” – (Reuters)