FBI learned of subway terror suspect in January

The FBI learned last January that a Pakistani-born man arrested in the Washington subway-bomb sting was trying to make contact with terrorist groups to help him participate in jihad against U.S. forces overseas, according to a court record.

FBI agent Charles A. Davoub said in an affidavit unsealed Thursday that Farooque Ahmed, 34, and an unnamed associate hoped to fight in Afghanistan or Pakistan early next year.

Davoub also said the Federal Bureau of Investigation subsequently learned that Ahmed either bought, or tried to buy, weapons in May 2008 and February 2009 and is believed to have used firearms to train for his goal of traveling to Afghanistan to kill Americans.

Wednesday's arrest

Ahmed was arrested Wednesday and accused of casing Washington-area subway stations in what he thought was an al-Qaeda plot to bomb and kill commuters. Davoub said Ahmed, a naturalized American citizen who was born in Pakistan, has lived in this country since 1993.

Federal officials said that the public was never in any danger during the investigation and that federal authorities had closely monitored Ahmed's activities until his arrest.

Earlier this month, the United States and Britain warned of an increased risk of terrorist attacks in Europe, with Washington saying al-Qaeda might target transport infrastructure.

A U.S. official, on condition of anonymity, said there was "no connection between recent reports of the terrorism threats in Europe and this arrest."

Ahmed was charged with trying to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to help carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at D.C.-area Metrorail stations.

A law enforcement official said that Ahmed was passing the information to someone who was working with law enforcement.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, the Justice Department said.

"It's chilling that a man from Ashburn is accused of casing rail stations with the goal of killing as many Metro riders as possible through simultaneous bomb attacks," U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said.

It's chilling that a man from Ashburn is accused of casing rail stations with the goal of killing as many Metro riders as possible

U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride

Public never in danger

From April to Oct. 25 Ahmed allegedly conducted surveillance, videotaped, photographed, and drew diagrams of the Arlington Cemetery, Courthouse, Crystal City and Pentagon City Metrorail stations, and offered suggestions about where to place explosives to kill people in simultaneous attacks planned for 2011, the indictment said.

He allegedly told an individual whom he believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda that between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. would be the best time for an attack to cause the most casualties, the indictment said.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. authorities have worried about another attack on U.S. soil.

Last week, a Jordanian national was sentenced to 24 years in prison for attempting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper.

Earlier this month, Pakistani-born American Faisal Shahzad was sentenced to life in prison for trying to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square.

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was aware of the investigation before Ahmed was arrested. Gibbs also offered assurances that the public was never in danger.

In a statement, David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security, said the case "demonstrates how the government can neutralize such threats before they come to fruition."

"Farooque Ahmed is accused of plotting with individuals he believed were terrorists to bomb our transit system, but a coordinated law enforcement and intelligence effort was able to thwart his plans," said David Kris, assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Unsettling news

Nonetheless, the arrest came as unsettling news for some Washington area commuters.

"As I look around, I think about how vulnerable we are," said 45-year-old McCarthy Council, who lives near the Pentagon City Metro station. "I'm just going to stay off the Metro system for now."

Mary Brereton, 55, a personal trainer who lives in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, said she's more worried about the safety of Metro's trains after a deadly crash last year than about a terrorist attack.

"Who was it who said, 'If we live in fear every day, then 9/11 was a success?"' she said. "You just can't."

Andrew Ames, a spokesman for the FBI Washington field office, declined to comment on how authorities learned about Ahmed.

A LinkedIn page that was created for Farooque Ahmed identifies him as a network planning engineer with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the City College of New York in 2003, during the same period that other records showed he had been living in New York. The profile listed Ahmed as a network planning engineer for Ericsson and said he previously worked with Verizon and Sprint.

Legal records

In Reston, Virginia, Ericsson Federal Inc., issued a statement confirming that Ahmed had done contract work for the company, which company promised cooperation with the federal investigation.

A check of legal records for Ahmed found several traffic offenses in Virginia, including speeding.

Officers with the FBI, the Virginia State Police and the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office left the brick townhouse where Ahmed lives on Wednesday afternoon. One took a photo of the entrance and another carried out a plastic bag containing used exam gloves.

In some ways, they seemed like many other suburban families.

Ahmed's wife, Sahar, joined the Hip Muslim Moms, a support group for women with children under 5 years old, and brought her young son to playdates with other mothers, said group organizer Esraa Bani. She had moved to the area and was looking for a mothers group when she joined. She was very quiet and kept to herself.

Margaret Petney, who lives on the same block as Ahmed in Ashburn, said Ahmed moved in about a year and a half ago with his wife and young child, and that they wore traditional Muslim clothing.

"They didn't seem to be too friendly with anybody," Petney said. "You never know who lives around you."

As I look around, I think about how vulnerable we are

McCarthy Council