Mass. man arrested for alleged terror attack plots-'Jihadist' arrested over plot to kill US forces

Tarek Mehanna allegedly travelled to the Middle East for terror training

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Boston Police on duty.

A Massachusetts man has been arrested on federal terrorism-related charges on suspicion of planning attacks inside and outside the United States.

Tarek Mehanna, 27, a resident of Massachusetts, also allegedly sought with co-conspirators to obtain weapons to carry out a random attack on a shopping mall, acting US attorney Michael Loucks said in a statement.

Mehanna is accused of conspiring with a man named Ahmad Abousamra and others from 2001 to May 2008 "to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country and extraterritorial homicide of a US national," the statement said.

A person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity says the man was arrested early Wednesday. The person was not authorized to divulge details of the investigation.

The person says the man is from the Boston suburb of Sudbury and had two co-conspirators.

Tarek Mehanna (TEH'-rek meh-HAH'-nah), of Sudbury, was arrested in November 2008 on suspicion of lying to authorities about the whereabouts of a man who trained with al-Qaida members with the goal of overthrowing the Somali government.

Mehanna pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. Officials would not immediately say Wednesday whether the man arrested was him.

U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a Massachusetts man with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, alleging he and co-conspirators traveled to the Middle East seeking training, discussed attacking a shopping center, and distributed videos promoting holy war.

Tarek Mehanna, 27, from Sudbury, Massachusetts, had been previously indicted in January 2009 for making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other officials in connection with a terrorism investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release on Wednesday.

"Mehanna and the co-conspirators had multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and randomly shooting people in a shopping mall, and that the conversations went so far as to discuss the logistics of a mall attack, including coordination, weapons needed and the possibility of attacking emergency responders," the Justice Department said.

Mehanna was arrested at his home on Wednesday morning.

Prosecutors allege that from 2001 to 2008 Mehanna conspired with a man named Ahmad Abousamra and others in an attempt to kill, kidnap or injure people in the United States.

The charges accuse Mehanna and co-conspirators of talking about their desire to participate in Islamist holy war and of their desire to die on the battlefield.

The case comes less than a month after an Afghan-born man, Najibullah Zazi, was accused of plotting a bomb attack against the United States.

Authorities say Zazi took a bomb-making course at an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, had bomb-making notes on his laptop computer and acquired bomb-making materials similar to those used in the 2005 London attacks, buying acetone and hydrogen peroxide at beauty supply stores.

Zazi, an Afghan immigrant and permanent U.S. resident, was indicted late last month on a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held in prison without bail.

Tarek Mehanna, 27, was held in Sudbury, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, and charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

He is also accused of conspiring to kill people overseas and of seeking terrorist training in the Middle East.

At least two other co-conspirators were involved, officials said.

Detailing the charge against Mr Mehanna, US prosecutors accused him and his alleged co-conspirators of discussing how to obtain automatic weapons before "randomly shooting people in a shopping mall".

They allegedly discussed "the logistics of a mall attack, including co-ordination, weapons needed and the possibility of attacking emergency responders," acting US Attorney Michael Loucks said.

However, the plan was eventually abandoned, prosecutors said, because the conspirators could not get hold of the necessary weapons.

The charge alleges that from about 2001 to May 2008, Mr Mehanna conspired with others, plotting to provide material support and resources for use in carrying out a conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country and the killing of US nationals outside the US.

"They discussed their desire to participate in violent jihad against American interests and that they would talk about fighting jihad and their desire to die on the battlefield," he said.

They allegedly attempted to radicalise others by watching and distributing jihadi videos.

Mr Mehanna and two of his associates also allegedly travelled to the Middle East in February 2004 to attend a terrorist training camp with the aim of fighting US and allied forces in Iraq.

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