THWARTED

Feds Arrest NYC Man Who Wanted to Attack Times Square: DOJ

Ashiqul Alam was allegedly plotting the attack in order to “kill a senior government official.”

A man who was allegedly plotting a terror attack in New York’s Times Square has been arrested for buying two guns with “obliterated serial numbers,” according to the Justice Department. Ashiqul Alam is accused of wanting to procure firearms and explosives for a terrorist attack in either Times Square or Washington, D.C., in “order to kill a senior government official.” Earlier this year, Alam allegedly made “recon” trips to Times Square in order to identify potential targets and thought of different methods of conducting the attack—including using a “suicide vest,” “hand grenades,” or AR-15 rifles to kill law enforcement, federal prosecutors allege. Alam also got Lasik eye surgery because he feared his glasses would fall off during the attack and he’d be labeled the “Blind Terrorist” in the news, according to the DOJ. He was arrested after giving $400 to an individual he believed was selling him the two pistols. Alam was scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday afternoon.