A Massachusetts man plotted with undercover FBI agents he thought were al Qaeda operatives to attack the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon, according to federal prosecutors. Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was charged Wednesday in federal court in Boston with aiding terrorists. Ferdaus, of Ashland, Mass., traveled to the District to conduct surveillance on the sites, planned the attacks and obtained materials to carry them out, according to a criminal complaint.

The 42-page complaint details conversations Ferdaus allegedly had over the past year with people he believed were al Qaeda recruiters and his efforts to prepare for the attacks.