Man accused of threatening to blow up Metro trains
By: Freeman Klopott
Examiner Staff Writer
October 12, 2009
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| (ANDREW HARNIK/EXAMINER) |
District police say a Bangladeshi man threatened to blow up Metro trains as he paced back and forth outside the Friendship Heights stop on the Red Line.
The threats caused authorities to evacuate the Chevy Chase Pavilion mall, but did not disrupt train service during the busy evening commute Tuesday.
Ahamed Pinto Ali was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after mall security guards told police they saw Ali walking back and forth in the malland near the Friendship Heights Metro station entrance saying, "I'm not scared to die," "I will kill people," and "I will blow people up and the Metro," according to charging documents filed in the District¹s federal court.
Tuesday¹s incident comes as law enforcement agencies across the country are on heightened alert after federal authorities said a series of raids and arrests disrupted terrorist plans to attack stadiums and mass transit. In recent weeks, bags left unattended in Washington have caused major traffic delays as police closed streets to determine whether the bags contained explosives.
When officers found Ali, he was sitting on a bench near the Starbucks kiosk inside the mall about 50 feet from the top of the escalators that lead down to the Metro, documents said. He was wearing a backpack, and when it was
searched authorities say they found a notebook with "I will kill" written inside and diagrams of bridges, mosques and other buildings located in the Washington area.
Police cleared the mall and the 5300 block of Wisconsin Avenue of people and cars, court documents said. They then searched the area with bomb-sniffing dogs and found no evidence of explosives. There was no evidence of explosives on Ali, either.
Police have not yet released Ali¹s age or where he has been living locally. There is no attorney listed for him in court records. Ali has been charged with threatening to "place a destructive device" near mass transportation with the "intent to endanger the safety of any person, and with reckless disregard for the safety of human life."
fklopott@washingtonexaminer.com
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