Bangladeshi indicted for attempted murder of FBI agent

International Desk: A U.S. federal grand jury has charged a 25-year-old Bangladeshi citizen and former resident of Maryland with attempted murder and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State terror group.

Nalesh Das was charged Tuesday with attempting to kill a member of the U.S. military in support of IS. Authorities allege he plotted the scheme between October 2015 and September 2016 while working with an FBI agent posing as an IS sympathizer.

Prosecutors say Das spent months expressing his support for the jihadist group on social media and tweeted what he thought was the personal information of a service member, saying the individual in question wanted to "kill Muslims."

Das and the undercover agent purchased ammunition and guns together before driving to the home of the service member, where Das planned to kill the person, prosecutors said.

Instead of carrying out the attack, prosecutors say Das was arrested by FBI agents.

Following his arrest last year, Das told The Washington Post he thought he was unfairly set up by the FBI and that he only went along with the plan because he was pressured into doing so.

"I didn't really want to do it," said Das at the time. "He [the FBI agent] just came and put it in my head."

Das remains in custody pending further court proceedings and, if convicted, could face life in prison.

He is a legal permanent resident who arrived in the United States in 1995, according to prosecutors.

Agencies



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