Man charged with plotting to bomb D.C.-area Metrorail stations

A Virginia man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to help others he thought were members of al Qaeda in planning multiple bombings at Metrorail stations in the Washington area, the Department of Justice said.

Farooque Ahmed, 34, appeared briefly Wednesday before federal Magistrate John Anderson at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. The court will appoint an attorney for Ahmed, and he was ordered to remain in custody until a detention hearing Friday, said Peter Carr, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Alexandria.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Ahmed on Tuesday, the Justice Department said in a statement.
"In announcing this arrest, officials emphasized 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," the statement said. "The public should be assured that there was no threat against Metrorail or the general public in the Washington, D.C., area."

Video: Man accused of DC terror plot

Metrorail is the name of the subway system that serves the greater Washington area, including suburbs in northern Virginia and south-central Maryland.
Ahmed is charged with attempting 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 the Washington-area stations, authorities said. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.
An administration official said Wednesday that Ahmed has no known connections to any overseas terrorist groups or individuals. The investigation is continuing, the official said on condition of not being identified.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the arrest is "another important example" of work by the FBI, all levels of law enforcement and the national security team "to keep our country safe."
Read More:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/27/virginia.plot.arrest/index.html