Washington: US federal authorities have
arrested an Afghan man for threatening to blow up Washington`s subway system on Facebook, the Justice Department has said.
Awais Younis, also known as Sundullah "Sunny" Ghilzai
and Mohannme Khan, allegedly described how to build a pipe
bomb that could maximize casualties on the Washington
Metrorail, according to a December 6 criminal affidavit.
During a chat last month Younis said the third and
fifth cars on the Metro had the highest number of commuters on
them and that he could place bombs there without being
noticed, according to the affidavit.
"Complainant responded by saying `You wouldn`t do
that,` and (Younis) responded by saying `Watch me,`" the
affidavit says, without providing further details on who
turned Younis in.
Younis had also allegedly posted pictures from
Afghanistan on Facebook in which he holds an AK-47 assault
rifle and his uncle stands in front of a tent filled with
explosives, with a caption reading "My family business."
He had also recently posted a message saying:
"Christmas trees were going to go boom."
Younis threatens the complainant in a chat included in
the affidavit.
"You are sticking your nose where it doesn`t belong
into something bigger then you and I," he said.
"That is the problem with Americans they can`t leave
well enough alone until something happens then they sit there
wondering why we dropped the twin towers like a bad habit
hahaha."
He goes on to warn the complainant to tell his father
not to take the Metro to work.
Younis, who will appear in court on December 21, has
been charged with "communicating threats using interstate
communications" but not terrorism, the Justice Department said in a statement.
"The public should be reassured that his activities
prior to his arrest were carefully monitored and that there is
no threat against Metrorail or the general public in the
Washington, DC area," spokesman Dean Boyd said.
An FBI spokeswoman said Younis was in his early 20s.
News of the arrest comes less than a week after FBI
agents used Facebook to nab a young Muslim-American who
believed he was about to set off a car bomb at a US military
recruitment office north of Washington.
Bureau Report
