Moroccan Pleads Guilty to Capitol-Bombing Plot
The 29-year-old was arrested earlier this year as part of a sting by undercover police.
| Posted Friday, June 22, 2012, at 3:29 PM
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
A Moroccan man who immigrated to the United States as a teen pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to plotting to carry out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol.
The Washington Post reports that as part of his plea deal, Amine Mohammed El Khalifi's prison term will be fixed between 25 and 30 years. His official charge was one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The 29-year-old was arrested several blocks from the Capitol in February, carrying what he believed were a loaded gun and a vest rigged with explosives. In reality, however, the weapons were provided by undercover police and were not actually functional.
Authorities say that Khalifi had considered several other targets, including military offices in Alexandria and a synagogue.
