Suspected Terrorist Arrested Near Capitol By EVAN PEREZ

WASHINGTON—Federal agents on Friday arrested a man who they allege planned to carry out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol, part of a sting operation in which undercover agents posing as al Qaeda operatives provided fake explosives.

Amine el Khalifi was arrested as he walked from a parking garage near the Capitol building carrying what the Federal Bureau of Investigation said was a MAC-10 automatic pistol and a bomb vest, both rendered inoperable by agents.

Mr. Khalifi is a Moroccan national living illegally in the U.S. since shortly after he entered on a tourist visa in 1999, the FBI said in an affidavit filed in U.S. district court in Alexandria, Va.

Mr. Khalifi was represented at an initial court hearing Friday by the federal public defender's office, which didn't immediately respond to a call seeking comment. The magistrate advised him of the charges and no plea was required, pending a hearing next Wednesday.

U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said Mr. Khalifi "believed he was working with al Qaeda and devised the plot, the targets and the methods on his own."

A criminal complaint charged Mr. Khalifi with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. government property. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Federal authorities said the plot was closely monitored by investigators and that Mr. Khalifi's alleged bombing plan never posed a danger to the public. The case resembles several others in recent years in which alleged would-be terrorists plotted attacks with accomplices who were actually government agents.

FBI agents have been investigating Mr. Khalifi since at least January 2011, when an informant told agents about a gathering attended by Mr. Khalifi in Arlington, Va., according to the FBI affidavit. The gathering included firearms and discussions about the "war on terror," the FBI said. 美执法部门在国会附近逮捕一名恐怖嫌疑人2012-02-18 07:02  新华网华盛顿2月17日电(记者杜静王丰丰)美国执法部门17日在国会附近逮捕一名企图实施自杀式爆炸袭击的恐怖嫌疑人。

　　美国联邦调查局在一份声明中说，该嫌疑人在被捕时随身携带的爆炸物已经被执法人员提前进行了处理，不具破坏力。此次抓捕行动是一项秘密反恐行动的一部分，在这一行动中，警方一直在对该嫌疑人进行密切监视，公众安全从未因此受到威胁。

　　据美国媒体报道，嫌疑人名叫阿明·阿尔哈利菲，现年29岁，摩洛哥籍，16岁来到美国，作为非法移民居住在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿县。美国警方在大约一年前获悉其有实施恐怖袭击的企图后便开始秘密调查，联邦调查局探员假扮成“基地”组织成员与其进行接触。

　　报道说，阿尔哈利菲的袭击目标几度改变，最终锁定国会。17日，假扮成恐怖分子的联邦探员把事先经过处理的爆炸物交给阿尔哈利菲后，在后者前往国会途中将其逮捕。美国警方认为，阿尔哈利菲与恐怖组织并无关联，而是单独行动。

　　近年来，美国联邦调查局进行了多次类似的反恐秘密行动，即由联邦调查局探员假扮恐怖分子与恐怖嫌疑人进行接触并最终将其逮捕。去年9月，一名美国人因涉嫌企图实施针对国会和五角大楼的爆炸袭击而被警方逮捕。行动过程中，联邦调查局探员假扮成恐怖分子，向其提供了枪支、手榴弹等装备。