Updated 3:19PM
Another FBI terrorism sting operation has led to the arrest of a man who allegedly believed he was plotting an attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Virginia resident Amine El Khalifi, 29, had been under federal scrutiny for around a year and had overstayed his visitor visa for a number of years, the Associated Press reported.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd confirmed to TPM that there was an arrest of a suspect in connection with a terrorism investigation and that the arrest “was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement.”
Boyd said the suicide vest that the suspect allegedly sought to use and had in his possession “had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public.”
The arrest, according to Fox News, took place at the corner of Pennsylvania and Louisiana Avenues in D.C.
U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Kimberly Schneider said in a statement that the arrest “was the culmination of a lengthy and extensive operation during which the individual was closely and carefully monitored.” She said the Capitol Police were “intimately involved in the investigation” and the public was never in any danger.
FBI agents had arrested another man back in September for allegedly plotting to attack the Capitol with remote controlled airplanes.
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