The Washington Times / Jay Lindsay

BOSTON (AP) ¡ª A Massachusetts man with a degree in physics was charged Wednesday with plotting to blow up the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled airplanes filled with explosives.

Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was arrested in Framingham after undercover federal agents delivered materials he allegedly had requested, including grenades, six machine guns and what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive. Federal officials said the public was never in danger from the explosives, which it said were always under control and closely monitored.

Wednesday¡¯s arrest was the latest of several terrorism cases to spring from federal sting operations. In other cases, reputed would-be terrorists became involved in fictional plots against various targets, such as Dallas skyscrapers or a Chicago nightclub. In this case, though, authorities said Mr. Ferdaus planned the scheme.

A federal affidavit says Mr. Ferdaus, of Ashland, began planning ¡°jihad¡± against the U.S. in early 2010 after becoming convinced America was evil through jihadi websites and videos. He contacted a federal informant in December and, months later, allegedly began meeting to discuss the plot with undercover federal agents he believed were members of al Qaeda.

A U.S. citizen who graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor¡¯s degree in physics, Mr. Ferdaus said he wanted to deal a psychological blow to the ¡°enemies of Allah¡± by hitting the Pentagon, which he called ¡°head and heart of the snake,¡± according to the affidavit.

A police car sits in the driveway of the home of 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus in Ashland, Mass., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Mr. Ferdaus is accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with large, remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

¡°Allah has given us the privilege,¡± he allegedly told the informant. ¡°He punishes them by our hand. We¡¯re the ones.¡±

Mr. Ferdaus made a brief initial appearance Wednesday in federal court on charges of attempting to destroy federal buildings and providing support to a foreign terrorist organization, al Qaeda. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday.

Telephone messages were left at the office of his lawyer, Catherine Byrne, and at the address listed for Mr. Ferdaus in the affidavit.

Several alleged domestic plots have been thwarted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including in Lackawanna, N.Y.; Portland, Ore.; and Virginia.

Terrorism arrests involving federal stings often have been followed by claims of entrapment, but none of the cases brought since Sept. 11 has been thrown out by a court on such grounds.

Rep. William R. Keating, Massachusetts Democrat and member of the Homeland Security Committee, said lawmakers have been warned for months of an emerging threat from homegrown extremists. He said al Qaeda is casting a wide net to radicalize individuals or small groups already in the country because of the significant advantages.

Mr. Ferdaus is accused of planning to use three remote-control airplanes measuring from 60 to 80 inches in length. He allegedly planned to pack 5 pounds of explosives in each plane, while saving some of it to blow up bridges near the Pentagon.

The planes, guided by GPS and capable of speeds greater than 100 mph, would hit the Pentagon and blow the Capitol dome to ¡°smithereens,¡± according to Mr. Ferdaus¡® plan, detailed in the affidavit. He then planned a follow-up attack with six people divided into two teams, all armed with automatic weapons, according to the affidavit.

Mr. Ferdaus traveled to Washington in June to do surveillance, the affidavit said, and he drew up a 15-phase attack plan. He also allegedly rented storage space to work on the planes in Framingham, telling the manager he planned to use the space for music.

Asked at one point about possibly killing women and children, Mr. Ferdaus allegedly said all unbelievers of Islam were his enemies.

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