Rezwan Ferdaus

Rezwan Ferdaus: The Drummer Accused Of Plotting 'Drone' Attack On D.C.

Ryan J. Reilly | September 29, 2011, 11:10AM

The last time Rezwan Ferdaus, the 26-year-old Massachusetts man accused of plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon with C-4 loaded model airplanes, had a run-in with the law was when he and two other students poured concrete in front of 10 doors to his high school in 2003.

Ferdaus, nicknamed "Bollywood," was the original drummer of the Goosepimp Orchestra when the band formed in 2004 until he "moved on to become a devout spiritual practitioner," according to the band's website. He also apparently played drums with a punk band named Silk Road, which has songs named "No Pilot" and "Gaza Dozer."

Read more »

FBI

FBI Arrests Man For Plotting To Attack Capitol, Pentagon With C-4 Loaded Remote Controlled Planes

Ryan J. Reilly | September 28, 2011, 3:30PM

Updated: 5:55PM

Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old Massachusetts resident was arrested in an FBI sting on Wednesday after allegedly plotting to use large remote controlled model airplanes packed with C-4 plastic explosives to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.

Ferdaus allegedly traveled to Washington, D.C. to take photos of his targets in May 2011, all while under FBI surveillance. The Northeastern University graduate allegedly began planning to commit "jihad" against the United States in early 2010 and obtained mobile phones that he modified to act as an electrical switch for an IED.

Read more »

Defense Department

Boosted By Jordan, Oil Company Overcharged U.S. Military For Fuel In Iraq

Ryan J. Reilly | September 27, 2011, 6:00AM

A soldier helps guard the Rumelia Oil Field in southern Iraq on April 2, 2003.

An oil company supplying the U.S. military with gas in Iraq was able to overcharge the government because they were the only company authorized by Jordan to transport through their country, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report obtained by TPM via Freedom of Information Request.

The International Oil Trading Company (IOTC) was paid "about $160 to $204 million (or 6 to 7 percent) more for fuel than could be supported by price or cost analysis," according to the report. Investigators also found that Kellogg, Brown, and Root performed an "inherently
governmental function" by accepting fuel on behalf of the government.

Read more »