This artist rendering shows Farooque Ahmed, second from right, in federal court in Alexandria, Va. , Friday, Oct. 29, 2010.—AP

WASHINGTON: A Pakistani-American man was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for plotting attacks on subway stations around the US capital with people he believed were Al-Qaeda affiliates.

Farooque Ahmed, a naturalised US citizen who lived in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, admitted photographing stations in 2010 to plan simultaneous bomb attacks.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organisation and collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack, US officials said.

A federal judge also sentenced Ahmed to 50 years of supervised release after prison, as part of a plea agreement between Ahmed's lawyers and prosecutors.

Ahmed was caught in a sting operation by US authorities, who said that “at no time was the public in danger during this investigation and that the FBI was aware of Ahmed's activities from before the alleged attempt began and closely monitored his activities until his arrest.”

Ahmed was arrested in October 2010. Authorities said he had studied security operations at subway stations, took photographs, and provided diagrams to the fake Al-Qaeda affiliates.

Ahmed also “provided suggestions as to where explosives should be placed on trains in Metrorail stations in Arlington to kill the most people in simultaneous attacks planned for 2011,” the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

Opinion

Editorial

Threat perception
Updated 07 Dec, 2024

Threat perception

Despite clear proof of the threat posed by malign armed actors to national security, the military and civilian leadership prefers to focus on political opponents.
Humanity at risk
07 Dec, 2024

Humanity at risk

HUMAN trafficking continues to remain an area where the state has utterly failed its citizens. While global...
Banks and larger goals
07 Dec, 2024

Banks and larger goals

THAT banks in Pakistan “prioritise profit over purpose” and promote financial products with limited knowledge of...
Gaza genocide
Updated 06 Dec, 2024

Gaza genocide

Unless Western states cease their unflinching support to Israel, the genocide is unlikely to end.
Agri tax changes
06 Dec, 2024

Agri tax changes

IT is quite surprising if not disconcerting to see the PPP government in Sindh dragging its feet on the changes to...
AJK unrest
06 Dec, 2024

AJK unrest

THERE is trouble brewing in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where a coalition comprising various civil society organisations...