A student from Bangladesh was arrested for attempting to carry out a terrorist attack. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, was arrested for trying to blow up New York City’s Federal Reserve building Wednesday (Oct. 17).
Although he maintains his innocence, the 21-year-old was busted trying to set off what he believed to be a 1,000-pound bomb outside of the building. He has since appeared in front of Brooklyn judge on charges of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, while his parents are shocked by the allegations.
Nafis is being held without bail, and has yet to enter a plea. He came to the U.S. in January, on a student visa and received money from his parents to cover his expenses. After learning of the terror plot his father, Quazi Ahsanullah, was left in disbelief. “My son can’t do it,” he told the Associated Press. “He is very gentle and devoted to his studies.”
Conversation recorded by the FBI confirmed that Nafis said that he was in contact with al-Queda members and looked up to U.S. born al-Qaeda recruiter, Anwar al-Awlaki, the dead man credited for inspiring underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and others. Nafis received directions on how to carry out the attack by way of al-Awlaki’s magazine, Inspire, and packed the explosives into a car parked outside the federal building in lower Manhttan.
In order to complete his failed mission, Nafis went to a Long Island, N.Y. warehouse to put together the ingredients for the explosives, and wanted to make sure that his actions would be tied to al-Qaeda. “The thing that I want to do, ask you about, is that, the thing I’m doing, it’s under al Qaeda?” he was recorded as saying during a conversation in a Queens hotel room. More bugged conversations found Nafis fully committed to killing himself during the attack, but not before flying back home to Bangladesh to see his family one last time.
“I spent all my savings to send him to America,” added his father. “I can’t believe he could be part of it.”
Aside from killing those at the federal building, Nafis also wanted to assassinate President Obama.
Click below to see photos of Nafis and his family members.
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Photos: New York Daily News/Getty
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