US Capitol plot suspect mulled synagogue attack

Illegal Moroccan immigrant arrested near Congress wearing vest he thought was full of al-Qaida-supplied explosives.

By JTA, REUTERS
US Capitol building 311 (photo credit: REUTERS/Jim Bourg)
US Capitol building 311
(photo credit: REUTERS/Jim Bourg)
WASHINGTON - A Moroccan man who allegedly wanted to conduct a suicide bombing attack on the US Capitol had considered attacking a synagogue, according to authorities.
Amine El Khalifi, 29, was arrested near the US Capitol on Friday wearing a vest he believed was full of al Qaida-supplied explosives and charged in an attempted suicide bombing of Congress, the Justice Department said.
In earlier conversations with undercover operatives, El Khalifi said he had also considered as targets a federal building in Alexandria, Virginia, a restaurant and a synagogue.
Officials close to law enforcement told JTA that Khalifi's plans were never close to being realized, and that there is no imminent danger to any Jewish target.
El Khalifi, an illegal immigrant who lives in Alexandria, was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property owned and used by the United States, intending to detonate a bomb and to shoot people, the department said.
He was arrested by the FBI and the US Capitol Police in a parking garage just a few blocks from the Capitol. The object of a lengthy undercover FBI investigation, El Khalifi later appeared in federal court in Virginia and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
US law enforcement officials said there never was any threat to the public. The explosives in the suicide vest and the gun he had been given by the FBI had been rendered inoperable and posed no danger to the public.
The officials said the arrest capped a year of monitoring by law enforcement authorities.
El Khalifi thought he was dealing with members of al-Qaida, but they were really undercover agents, officials said.
"The complaint filed today alleges that Amine El Khalifi sought to blow himself up in the US Capitol building," said US Attorney Neil MacBride. "El Khalifi allegedly believed he was working with al-Qaida and devised the plot, the targets and the methods on his own."
Sergeant Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for the US Capitol Police, said there was no danger to the public or members of Congress.
According to court records, El Khalifi entered the United States in 1999 on a visa, overstayed it and never applied for US citizenship.
According to an FBI affidavit, in January 2011, a confidential source reported to the FBI that El Khalifi met with other individuals at a residence in Arlington, Virginia.
During the meeting, one person produced what appeared to be an AK-47, two revolvers and ammunition. El Khalifi allegedly expressed agreement with a statement by the individual that the "war on terrorism" was a "war on Muslims" and said the group needed to be ready for war, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said El Khalifi detonated a test bomb just over a month ago in a quarry in West Virginia and that he "expressed a desire for a larger explosion in his attack" at the Capitol.
He selected Feb. 17 as the day of the operation, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said that during the past month El Khalifi traveled to the Capitol on multiple occasions to conduct surveillance, choosing the spot where he would be dropped off to enter the building, the specific time for the attack and the methods to avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement.