Boston-area American jihadists Tarek Mehanna, 27, of Sudbury, Mass. arrested in alleged terrorist plot,Feds thwart terrorist Operation

WASHINGTON - Federal authorities today charged a Boston-area man with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists as part of a plot to ``kill, kidnap, maim or injure'' persons -- including U.S. officials -- overseas and here in the United States.

Prosecutors and FBI agents said that, from 2001 to 2008, Tarek Mehanna, 27, of Sudbury, Mass., conspired with at least two other men to carry out an Islamist holy war, or jihad. That included discussions about killing two prominent U.S. politicians, attacking American troops in Iraq and shooting at shoppers in U.S. malls, according to those authorities and detailed FBI affidavits that were unsealed this morning in connection with the case.

The charges against Mehanna were announced by the acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Michael K. Loucks, and Warren T. Bamford, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office.

According to prosecutors, and two lengthy FBI affidavits filed in support of the charges, the three men discussed their desire to participate in "violent jihad against American interests" and "to die on the battlefield.''Mehanna had "multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and randomly shooting people in shopping malls," Loucks said, adding that their plan was thwarted when they could only get handguns, not the automatic weapons which they believed necessary for an attack at a mall.One senior federal law enforcement official cautioned that the alleged conspiracy was not nearly as far along, or as ``operational,'' as one allegedly headed by a Denver area Afghan native, Najibullah Zazi.Zazi, 24, was arrested last month and charged with training with Al Qaeda in Pakistan and conspiring with others to detonate homemade explosive devices on U.S. soil, possibly New York-area transit hubs.``It's very aspirational; hopes and dreams,'' said the law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because both investigations are classified, and ongoing. ``It's nothing like the Zazi case.''Federal authorities said the investigation is part of a nationwide hunt for individuals in this country who are going to Somalia to fight with Al Qaeda-linked militants trying to overthrow the U.S.-backed government there.Dozens of men in the United States, mostly Somali nationals, are suspected of supporting that effort, either through funding and recruitment or by actually traveling to Somalia to engage in combat and guerilla activities, several senior FBI and Justice officials have said recently.If convicted on the material support charge, Mehanna faces up to 15 years in prison. His attorney was identified as J.W. Carney Jr., who was not available for immediate comment...more..http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/sns-dc-terrorism-boston,0,1488018.story
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Feds thwart terrorist Operation