federal authorities say el khalifi's plan began in january, 2011, when an fbi informant listened to el khalifi and another man at an arlington apartment say the war on terror is a war on muslims. they say over the next year el khalifi allegedly kept talking about his desire to launch a terrorist attack and was eventually introduced to a man named yousef who claimed to be with al-qaeda but was really an undercover officer with the joint terrorist task force. authorities say el khalifi considered blowing up several targets from a building in alexandria and a restaurant to a synagogue and a place where military personnel gather in washington. he settled on the u.s. capitol african vassing the area a couple times. -- after canvassing the area a couple times. undercover officers went with him to a quarry to practice detonating explosives. he asked for a bigger bomb to do more damage. if not enough to destroy the whole building, at least kill 30 people. friday el khalifi strapped on what he thought was an explosive vest and an automatic weapon and headed for the capitol. he planned to use th

authorities say el khalifi who had lived in the u.s. since 1999 illegally was not part of any terrorism group. he is due in court wednesday for preliminary hearing. if he is convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison. >>> the landlord of an apartment building in arlington said he warned police about el khalifi a year and a half ago. he's not surprised his former tenant is suspected of a terrorist act. he described him as bridge belligerent and obnoxious and he -- belligerent and obnoxious and told police he expected this behave. >> i told police he was up to suspicious -- behavior. >> i told police he was up to suspicious behavior like making bombs in his apartment. >> the landlord said it took a three month court battle to get him out. >>> agents also raided a house in alexandria searching the backyard with metal detectors. fox 5's roz plater live with more on that part of the investigation. >> reporter: court documents show el khalifi met at a home here in arlington in january of last year reportedly looking over weapons and shor

they had been watching amine el- khalifi for a long time. according to federal agents, when he arrived at the capitol this morning, 29-year-old amine el-khalifi thought he was going to carry out a suicide attack. he was carrying what he thought was an automatic rifle and a best filled with explosives. >> that is right across the street. i am right here. >> it turned out to be an fbi sting. agents gave him the gun and explosives which were both duds. they arrested him moments after he arrived on the grounds. >> it make you feel good. >> documents revealed that it was the culmination of a yearlong investigation of the moroccan national. he was living here illegally. he thought he was working with al qaeda and he had built bombs and tested them in west virginia. in court, prosecutors said he had devised a plan to set off an explosive device at a local restaurant but changed his plan to a suicide attack on the capitol building. he discussed his plans with a group that gathered in arlington. the fbi raided the arlington home and confiscated numer

if convicted, el khalifi faces life in prison. the government says el khalifi originally thought about blowing up a military building and then a restaurant frequented by military personnel before deciding to target the capitol. >> stunning information, gary. i know you'll follow it through the evening and bring us more at 11:00. >>> today's arrest also sparked a series of searches in northern virginia. the fbi was spotted at a house in the douglas park section of arlington and then at an apartment complex in alexandria. that's where our ken molestina is live to pick up our team coverage. >> reporter: it's believed that terror suspect lived at this apartment complex. fbi agents accompanied by alexandria police showed up here to the point apartment off wyndham circle just before 3:00 today. we were able to get this video just as authorities were getting here. it's believed el khalifi lived in a first floor apartment of the 3308 building at point apartments. fbi agents entered the unit and searched it, although it's unknown what they

home of el khalifi. -- raiding the home of el khalifi. i was told at about the time that the suspect was arrested at the capitol there were muslim prayer services going on inside. so had this actually been an attack that was carried out we understand that a lot of folks were praying at that time would have more than likely also died as a result of this. back to you. >> ken molestina in alexandria, thank you. >>> a newly renovated high school that just reopened burst into flames today. at least two firefighters were injured battling the fire at anacostia high school shortly after noon. it looks like the fire was started by workers on the roof and tonight we're hearing from one parent who says he warned school officials something like in could happen. our kristin fisher joins us live from the school with more on that huge fire. >> reporter: we just found out that those two injured firefighters had just been released from the hospital, great news there and also as you can see, this fire is now out, but ther

he was brought in here, we have video of just before 5:00 this afternoon. 29-year-old amine el khalifi, an imgrant who was illegally present in the united states, was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property owned by the united states. he wanted to blow up the capitol. he thought the people he was working with were al qaeda. they were actually undercover law enforcement officers. the chilling part occurred in west virginia january 15. they went do a quarry there, exploded some explosives and amine el khalifi dialled a cell phone number he believed would detonate a bomb to see what the explosion would look like to a device similar to that. the court documents say the test bomb detonated and amine el khalifi expressed a desire for a larger explosion in his attack. as we know, he was not armed with explosives in that vest. they were inert. it was all handled by the law enforcement agents and the fbi when he approached the u.s. capitol today. there he was arrested by fbi agents. of course, brought here to alexandria, where he was charged with attempting

it's believed el khalifi lived at point apartments. the fbi entered the unit and searched it, although we do not know what, if anything, they found inside. neighbors say they were alarmed that that terror suspect lived in this community. out in arlington fbi agents showed up to the 1600 block of south randolph. we understand that investigation is linked to this same search that took place over here in alexandria. according to the fbi, a search warrant was issued for the property on south randolph where at least two other people have also been questioned. so again a lot of information coming out of this investigation. we will stay on top of the latest details and bring all that to you as we get it. ken molestina, 9 news now. >>> thick black smoke billowed from the roof of anacostia high today. the fire forced students out of class and sent two firefighters to the hospital and folks as far as capitol hill say they could see it smoldering. >> reporter: i'm kristin fisher outside anacostia senior high school, the site of a major two alarm

many of them knew who el khalifi was. they said he wasn't particularly friendly, but never thought this homegrown terror was going on. as jackie said, the 29-year-old is facing life in prison after being arrested in an undercover sting operation. that happened at noon on capitol hill. after that, agents came here to alexandria to start searching his condo. according to the charging documents, we are learning more about this. the alexandria resident wanted to blow himself up and they say "he believed he was working with al qaeda. he devised the plot, the target, and the methods all on his own." this case of homegrown terror has sent chills through people here in the condo complex. agents spent the afternoon searching the alexandria condominium believed to be home to amine el khalifi. neighbors say he had little reaction with them. while others reacted to the news of the foiled terror plot. >> it's quite scary actually. but it's the world we live in, especially post 9/11, you have to be very alert and just thankful to god t

agents supplied el khalifi with a vest of inert materials. the gun was rigged not to work. sources tell abc news, it's a sobering reminder there's a pool of disaffected people right here in the u.s., with little prompting, are willing to kill. so-called lone wolves, often radicalized on the internet. >> there's still a group of people in the united states who spontaneously can become terrorists, without any real communications connection to al qaeda. >> reporter: the fbi has arrested more than 50 suspected radicals in the u.s. in the last 3 years. how serious was the plot? diane, the fbi said the suspect went to a west virginia quarry and blew up a real bomb to get an idea how destructive his suicide vest would be. after it detonated, he allegedly wanted a bigger explosion. >> pierre, i keep wondering how many more of these can they continue to catch? are they sure he didn't have other allies here? other ties? >> reporter: there's other people they looked at. right now, they believe this was contained to him. but again, his entire background is being looked at. >> okay. pie

where it's believed el-khalifi was living. it just goes to show you ou never know who your neighbors a. are. court apers show the targets of the attempted attack included a restaurant and a synagogue. it's your last day to get those eeergy efficient items in maryland with no state tax. joel d. smith is at best buy in towson, to show you how to save even more, if you act today. good morning joel d. - 3 3 3 women under 30... are having more kids out of wedlock. that's according to an article in the new york times.tte research group "child trends"... finds caucasian women in their 0's... who have some college education but noo a 4-year degree... are among the fastest-growing group.however... tte article cites the majority of college graduates are still maarying bbfore having kids. elizabeeh smart is waking up a newlywed.the 24-year old got married in a private ceremony over the weekend... in hawaii.you may recall... smart made national from herrutah home in 2002.9 d - months later... she was found. the magazine reports the couple

el khalifi, renuncio a sus derechos de audiencia preliminar y de detencion, por lo que el juez ordeno que permanezca en custodia. leerle la audiencia per; limonar y decirle de que lo arrestaron no va a facilitar el proceso para el acusado. el acusado quiere que el caso proceda rápido para que eventualmente pueda salir de la cárcel si fuera inocente. en este caso vamos a tener que proceder ahora directamente al primer paso. el juez john anderson, oredno mantener al asospechoso bajo arresto debido a la seriedad de los cargos. hasta comaprecer a un gran jurado. de declararse no culpable, tendra lugar el juicio. lo único que puede hacer el es tratar de convencer al jurado de que si no hubiera sido por la influencia de la presion que le pusieron por parte de la policía que el no tenia la disposición de cometer un crimen. y si el logra comprobar eso, el puede quedar absuelto de los cargos. segun el abogado malouf el gobierno tiene bases solidas para encausar su culpabilidad el tipo de actividades que el estaba buscando son actividades típicas del terrorismo es una idea de causar panico, des

. >> amine el khalifi was arrested last week near the capitol. today he faced a federal judge in court. matt ackland is just back from the hearing in alexandria. matt, what happened? >> reporter: this afternoon el khalifi waived his right to a pretrial hearing. the federal judge in this case found probable cause to detain him until a grand jury can be seated and look into these charges against him. that could take 30 days, maybe longer. federal officials say el khalifi wanted to attack military offices, a d.c. restaurant, a synagogue, and his biggest target, the u.s. capitol. according to officials, el khalifi thought he was working with a man connected to al qaeda. instead it was an undercover f.b.i. operative. when el khalifi was arrested on friday near the capitol, he was wearing a vest that he thought was a bomb. instead it was a fake given to him by that undercover operative. officials say at no time was the public in danger. the hearing was just very short, just a minute or two. el khalifi was dressed in a green uniform with "prisoner" writ

el-khalifi was in court today charged with attempted use of a weapons of mass destruction against u.s. government property. he faces a possible life sentence. f.b.i. agents say el-khalifi considered a number of different targets including a synagogue and restaurant frequented by the military before settling on the capitol. >> pelley: chip, thank you very much. we're joined now by cbs "this morning"'s senior correspondent john miller, a former assistant director of the f.b.i. john, i think people lose track of how many of these plots there are. we were talking about than in the newsroom today. >> scott, after september 11 of 2002 there was an average of about four of these plots, targeting people in places on u.s. soil a year. then around 2008/2009, 2010, you see that really start to spike. up to a dozen a year. >> pelley: why is that? >> a lot of people in the intelligence community believe it was al qaeda got more mature with its message but also found the right messenger, anwar al-awlaki, who had been here in america for years, born in new mexico, spoke perfect english and was a mas

el khalifi was living in alexandria on an expired visa. according to the justice department documents, he ex- expresswaysed interest in defending himself against what he perceived to be a u.s. war on muslims,. his landlord said he was suspicious a year ago. in december he was introduced to a man he thought was an al qaeda operative who was really an fbi agent. undercover agents developed a relationship with el khalifi over the past few months learning that he wanted to be the first suicide bomber on u.s. soil. the fbi says el khalifi's initial plan was to attack a restaurant and a military outlet. the last month he decided to conduct a suicide attack on the u.s. capital. he allegedly cased the capital for weeks to find a location for his attack and had planned to bring guns to fend off any police. he had planned to detonate the bombs inside the building today when the capital was full of people. earlier today, el khalifi was given a gun and suicide vest, both rendered harmless. he was arrested inside a parking garage near the capital. a la

el khalifi -- amine el khalifi is due back in court. he was arrested friday in a d.c. parking garage. prosecutors say he was headed to the capitol with the intent of blowing himself up inside it. authorities say el khalifi thought he was meeting with al qaeda operatives but it was all part of a year-long f.b.i. undercover investigation. prosecutors say the weapon he was given -- the weapons he was given were duds. >>> rick santorum is leading the g.o.p. presidential hopefuls in the polls but former massachusetts governor mitt romney is the money leader. >> since announcing his bid for the white house, romney has raised almost $64 million. susan mcginnis has more. >> it's great to be at the heartland. >> reporter: rick santorum was joined by his family at a campaign stop in grand rapids, michigan. >> we get a chance to spend some time together this week. >> reporter: santorum is leading in the polls and talking like a front-runner. he ignored his republican rival focusing his attacks on president obama. >> whose side is he on is the question? we need someone who is on y

furthermore the complaint alleges that el khalifi sought to blow himself up in the u.s.ing. he allegedly believed he was working with al-qaeda and devised the plot, the target and the methods on his own. plots like this, according to the chairman of the house homeland security committee, reveals that radicals have askewed ideology. >> there's no doubt to me the extremists definitely believe the russ is at war with islam, not with al-qaeda or extremists. >> el khalifi was living here illegally. his visa expired back in 1999 and the charging documents note that he never applied for citizenship. harris. >> thank you. a huge drug bust on the west coast where authorities say they seized pcp, enough to have a street value of $100 million. a los angeles police task force arresting two suspects this week and discovering some 130 gallons of the dangerous hallucinogen stashed at homes and storage facilities in the area. they said they believed the suspects were part of a drug ring working in cities nationwide. >>> her violent death rocked campuses of america's top colleges. and wh

where it's believee el-khalifi was living. it just goes to show you you never know who your neighbors a. are. court papers show the targett of the attempted attack included a restaurant and a synagogue. 3 the maryland house of delegates passes a bill legalizing same sex marriage.. but only by thinnest of margins. house members voted 72-67 to pass the bill friday.the house was a long-standing major supporters. the vote sets the stage for maryland to become the next state...to legalize everyone is appy with the - idea. "we are thrilled once this passes the senate and the governor approves it, it will be legal in our home state" state""with over three thousand chuches represented, with probably 3.2 million people, we are oing to take this the bill now heads to the senate where it's expected to pass. governor o'malley supports t, and is expected to sign it into law.that would make maryland the seventh state to legalize same sex marriage... not including washington d-c. there is already talk of starttng a petition drive to put the

law enforcement officials tell us they've identified him as 29-year-old amine el khalifi. they say he's from morocco will you lives in alexandria, virginia. agents were searching his home this afternoon. he was arrested today just blocks from the u.s. capitol after he put on what he thought was a vest containing explosives. that vest contained inert material. that is, not explosive. and he was dealing with undercover fbi operatives for months. fbi officials say he had been under close observation for just that long and they believe he in fact did act alone. we'll have live team coverage including a report from inside his gated community. >>> final preparations are under way for whitney houston's funeral tomorrow. aretha franklin and stevie wonder will perform. you can watch it live on nbc washington nonstop and we'll stream it on nbcwashington.com. proceedings are scheduled to begin around noon. >>> and overall, the big indexes logged gains for the week. the dow gained 45 points today, finishing about 50 points shy of the 13,000 mark. the nasdaq closed down at 9,951. and t

federal agents describe amine el khalifi constantly under surveillance. he was arraigned in alexandria in federal court. he was arrested in a washington, d.c. garage friday morning near the capitol, the result of a month long sting operation. >> this is a trend that's occurred with what we call lone wolf. >> reporter: according to court document he was wearing a vest containing what he believed to be a functioning bomb and carying an automatic weapon both rendered harmless by authorities. dutch ruppeersberger is on the house committee on intelligent. >> it's difficult to determine who the lone wolves are if we don't get tips and that's why it's important to law he forcement and state and local and federal and individuals when they see something that looks arye, then we need to contact haw enforcement officials. >> reporter: his initial plan was to attack a restaurant and military outlet. but last month, he he decided to conduct a-- he decided to conduct a suicide attack on thecapitol and planned to bring guns to fend off police and he planned to detonate

according to the criminal complaint, by december of last year, el khalifi had begun gathering what he thought were his instruments of destruction including automatic weapons and firearms and said he wanted to quote kill people face to face but he didn't know he had enlisted the help of federal agents. targtsz were being considered, places where military brass could be hit with the most effectiveness and eventually settled on setting off a bomb at the capitol viszto tovisitors c. all the while, he thought he was being supplied but with explosives that did not work and said he was in a league with al qaeda. they did express some degreg of leif thof -- degree of relief this plan was thwarted. >> that's good. the fbi had infiltrated and i was explained he was give an phony weapon. it works. the system works, that's good. other than that, life is normal. >> reporter: there was a subsequent raid conducted at his arlington home, charged with attempting to use a weapons of mass destruction against a federal target and could get life in prison, due to be in court next week in alexandria. a sig

. >> the washington, the capitol, and the suspect, amine applebee'elka li el khalifi. he was given a suicide vest and cell phone and rifle, both inoperable and provided by the fbi. they had been watching him since december and he had carried out a test explosion with the fbi in virginia. he is now charged with trying to carry out a weapon of mass destruction. >> the president was told of the arrest but for everyone else on the hill it came as a surprise. it disrupted the afternoon for everyone around constitution avenue. many were surprised to hear of the plot but most relieved by the outcome. >> it's pretty intense what's going on in this country and a lot of security and a lot of people are nervous. >> it's shocking to hear about it but pleasing to know they were on top of it. >> people inside the capitol were never evacuated or warned about anything. >> within minutes of the arrest, federal agents were raiding e a el khalifi's apartment in arlington. they caught up with his landlord. >> pretty much shock and feel. >> reporter: the fbi talked to neighbors after they

. >>> amine el khalifi was arrested friday. an agent posing as al-qaeda gave ill khalifi a vest -- el khalifi a vest packed with inoperable explosives and a gun. he took those items to the capitol. >>> metro wants your help to name the new silver line stations. >>> plus is this the future of food, hamburger grown in a test tube, details behind the experiment. check out the rundown. we're back. >> this is fox 5 news at 11:00. [ male announcer ]  technology accelerates at a relentless pace. anything not moving forward is moving backward. [ tires screech ] [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] introducing the 2013 gs. with the lexus enform app suite, the most connected information and communication technology available in an automobile. [ tires screeching ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. >>> a heads up if you're a baby boomer. you might need to be required, at least might be required and need to get tested for hepatitis c. federal health officials are considering the one time check. the reason, 2/3 of people with

federal officials say el khalifi wanted to attack military offices, a d.c. restaurant, a synagogue and his biggest target the u.s. capitol but he didn't know he was being tracked by the f.b.i. >>> developing tonight, we're approaching nine hours of deliberation in the uva murder trial. no decision from the jury. but the jury is keeping in close contact with the judge. fox 5's paul wagner has the latest from charlottesville. >> reporter: brian, this jury began deliberating at 9:23 this morning and at 5:00, they were asked by the judge how they were doing. they sent a note back saying basically they wanted to continue to work into the night. they said please check back with us in an hour or two. the judge said wee check at 6:00 -- he would check at 6:00. the question is are they going to continue into the night? are they going to get dinner or go home at some point and shay they -- and say they want to come back tomorrow. so far they've sent three notes to the judge today. one of those note was a question about a letter that they had not gotten in the exhibits

capital building was already in court by this afternoon the 29- year-old amine el khalifi was arrested near the capital building. as i say, went down this morning after he met with undercover agents who are posing as al qaeda operatives. they say he was planning to detonate what he thought was a suicide vest. investigators say that he was living in virginia on an expired visa and had been under surveillance. >> he wanted to put a bomb in a restaurant that was frequented by military officials. then he decided on the suicide bombing in the capital but again, i agree with everything that's been said. this was under watch by the fbi from the beginning. no one was ever at risk. >> authorities say el khalifi wanted to be the first suicide bomber on american soil. he is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against u.s. property. >>> president obama is now in washington state after his quick fundraising stop here in the bay area. he left sfo about 9:00 this morning with a final wave to the waiting press. today the president toured a boeing plant in seattle and watched so

el khalifi was not a regular worshipper at that mosque. >>> still ahead here, is it safe to get your caffeine fix by inhaling it. >>> rick santorum is trying to explain what he meant when president obama had a, quote, phony theology. >>> and it turns out this is >>> the fd is looking into whether inhaleable caffeine is safe. it's for sale in massachusetts and new york. it's sold as a dietary supplement, but new york senator chuck shumer asked the fda to take another look. aero shot said it will cooperate with the review and its product is safe. >>> espn fired one employee and suspended another today for using offensive language referring to knicks phenom jer any lin. it was used in the mobile website on friday. it was also spoken by an espn news anchor. the anchor was suspended for 30 days. there was another use of the phrase on espn radio by a commentator who was not a network employee. jeremy lin hit the hardwood again this afternoon. >>> still ahead tonight, chuck's back to tell us when we could see, or if we could see, or who might maybe possibly see some snowflakes tonight. plus

. >>> what amine el khalifi didn't know is that undercover agents were in the operative who helped him just enough to get him indicted. gary nurenberg is here to show us how the plan came together and fell apart. >> reporter: this is a technique that the fbi has done before. help a terrorist plan an attack and stop him before he can pull it off, but in this case the guy kept changing his mind about what he wanted to do. el khalifi appeared in court late this afternoon charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, a crime that carries a potential penalty of life in prison. the moroccan native came to the teenager as 1999 and overstayed his visa and has been living in the country illegally ever since. the fbi has been watching him for more than a year as he tried to figure out what he wanted to do. on december 1st, he said he planned to attack an office building in alexandria partially used by the military and he wanted to kill face-to-face. on december 8th, he said he wanted to attack a synagogue or an army general. on december 15th he said he found a government building

federal authorities arrested amine el khalifi on friday. investigators say undercover agents gave el khalifi an inoperable bomb and a gun. prosecutors say he was headed to the capitol to blow himself up inside. officials at a mosque in fairfax county say el khalifi prayed there shortly before his arrest. now, that's the same mosque where anwar al awlaki once served as imam and then became an al qaeda leader in yemen. >>> later this morning, whitney houston will be laid to rest in her home state of new jersey. she'll be buried next to her father not far from where she grew up. the burial comes after an emotional homecoming service yesterday. family and friends filled the church and shared warm memories of houston's life, her work and her faith. nbc's mark barger has their emotional good-bye. ♪ >> we celebrate the life of whitney houston. >> reporter: and for almost four gospel-infused hours -- ♪ -- nearly 1,000 invited family and friends did just that. >> such a beautiful human being. >> reporter: some speakers talked about houston's talent.

this afternoon, they searched a home in suburban virginia, where el khalifi had met with undercover agents. >> it's scary. it makes you not want to trust people. >> reporter: the government's charges says khalifi was angry because the u.s.'s war on terrorism was really a war on muslims. he also considered targeting restaurants, u.s. military offices, and a synagogue. eventually he settled on today's suicide bombing attack on the u.s. capitol. but it was all a sting. the fbi had been tipped off by an associate. agents supplied khalifi with a vest of harmless, inert materials. the gun was rigged not to work. sources tell abc news, it's a sobering reminder there's a pool of disaffected people right here in the u.s., who with little prompting, are willing to kill. so-called lone wolves, often radicalized on the internet. >> even if al qaeda and pakistan and afghanistan are destroyed, there's still a group of people in the united states who spontaneously can become terrorists, without any real communications connection to al qaeda. >> reporter: the fbi has arrested more than 50 suspected radica

john, does the government think el khalifi was acting alone?, and they spent a good deal of time trying to find that out. one of the reasons this case spanned almost two years was they put an awful lot of effort trying to learn khalifi's network, his friends, his family, his contacts, his finances, to make sure that if they arrested him, they weren't leaving anyone behind, and they are fairly convinced that he was a lone wolf. >> mason: john, there's been a decline in these kind of cases over the past year. why do we think that's happening? >> i think there may be a number of factors. i mean, one factor may be cases like this are very discouraging to those who might be forward with a plot like this. but i think the other is the death of al qaeda's propaganda master, anwar awlaki, as well as the death in a similar drone strike of a person who ran their "inspire" magazine, their online publication. they have had a slowdown in propaganda and charismatic speakers who can reach people. >> mason: at the same time, in this case, john, as the governmen

we know on january 15th, el khalifi stated he had modified his plans for his attack.nted to conduct a suicide attack in the u.s. capitol building. that same day at a quarry in west virginia, as a demonstration of the effects of the proposed bomb operation, el khalifi dialed a cell phone number he believed would detonate a bomb in the quarry. the test bomb did detonate, and he expressed a desire for a largest explosion. he also selected february 17th, 2012, today, as the day of the operation, according to the affidavit. he was going to hit the capitol building today, candidate. >> so brian, take us back to today's appearance and dial it back a couple hours, and how did how did the fbi take this guy down? >> reporter: officials said he had been given a suicide vest and a gun, but they were rendered inoperable. he thought he was getting that equipment from al qaeda operatives, but had been tracked all along from fbi agents. here's how the operation played out. >> just blocks from the capitol, he was arrested. a law enforcement official tells cnn. officials say he thought

. >> this is where neighbors tell us where the suspect el-khalifi actually lived. residents in the area since shortly after 2:00, what appeared to be heavily armed swat team members entered a first floor apartment and carried out the boxes and bags. we looked in and saw what appeared to be justice department documents maps, and other items scattered about. the notion of a suspect living in plain sight like this concerns them greatly. >> it is very scary. this writing this would happen here. we have a shuttle here to the pentagon. a lot of people work for the government or our in the military. you have a lot of people who love the country in this community. it is shocking he would be a resident here. >> i thought it was a drug- related thing. this is shocking to me. you do not expect a terrorist to be living in your neighborhood. >> neighbors also tell us that there was a lot of foot traffic going in and out of the apartment. we are told the landlord told authorities what he considered to be suspicious activity in and out of that apartment as long as one year ago. a

many people are asking about the suspect, amine el-khalifi. what was he planning?am glad nothing happened. ago, the world learned about the rest of amine and his plans for a suicide bombing. >> it is always a thread. in a city that is such a target. >> the 29-year-old moroccan kill as manyed to governmentd as he killed. >> whether it be over the or by another individual. >> but his plans were part of a yearlong fbi sting operation. the supposedly al qaeda contacts were undercover agents. they met with them at this arlington house. renderedns had been harmless by agents. >> it allows you to build the case and it allows you to a lone wolf.he is >> the fbi is now investigating other associates. >> i feel nobody should have been injured. glad it was intercepted. >> on an outing with his toddler daughter, this man says cases like these are a fact of life in the nation's capital. >> i think it is a good thing. >> folks to lived near that arlington house said the residents have not harmed anybody, but they are well known in the neighborhood. nobody else has been charged i

an undercover agent gave el khalifi what he believed was a suicide vast, but it was harmless. >> a new kind of problem for mature writers. this time it is not about delays or broken bosses, but people who have been sexually harassed. -- a new problem for metro riders. gail huff is live with more. >> victims tell us they are tired of suffering in silence. they are making their complaints very public. talking about exactly what has happened to them on the metro. >> he had his hand down his pants and was monitoring all of this gross stuff. >> she did not report the crime to police. today before the committee on government operations, she and many others told their stories. >> it was rush hour, and i was outside of the metro station. i do not think any person, man or woman, should have to be treated that way. >> hundreds of metro riders are telling their stories on a web site called collective action for safe spaces. >> even with the police, a lot of people are afraid to report it. we want to create a culture of tolerance. >> last year there were 84 cases of sexual offenses reported to tra

amine el khalifi is accused of threatening to detonate a suicide best in the capitol building. he did not know he was part of an undercover fbi sting. >> the four gop presidential candidates will debate each other tonight in arizona. it is the last one before super tuesday and the stakes are high. rick santorum has the edge in both states, making him a prime target in tonight's debate. >> i went out and check on the tough issues, medicare medicaid social security. i was the leader. >> i do not think his track record is that a fiscal conservative. >> mitt romney will try to get his campaign back on course today. the arizona and michigan primaries are less than one week away. >> coming up this is about my english first and let me find a way to school someone else. >> a new law sparking controversy. >> commuter disaster -- a train slammed into a platform of hundreds on board. >> and a new warning about heart attacks and young women. >> all of that plus the forecast. what a great day in the nation's capital. very seasonal and pushing 60 ♪ >> new orleans biggest party of the year is

the landlord told authorities as long as one year ago he was suspicious about el-khalifi. he threatened a live-in girlfriend. he insisted he would stay in that apartment. it much more at 11:00. >> thank you. we will continue to monitor developments on this story. there is more on wjla.com. >> we have new information on another plot to attack the nation. the so-called under where? has appealed his life sentence. he filed the appeal yesterday just hours before he was sentenced for trying to blow up a northwest airlines flight on christmas day 2009. the bomb failed on the amsterdam to detroit flight. >> also tonight we are on storm watch. abc 7 was out and about looking for people preparing for the snow. instead, they are enjoying mild to birchers today. what do we need to prepare for this? dog hill joins us with the latest. >> it is beautiful and partly cloudy. we are in the 50's. it will be in the 50's tomorrow. sunday it will change. let's look at the area under a winter storm watch on sunday. this is from sunday morning for sunday evening. the computer model shows a fair

amin el khalifi was arrested friday. agents gave him an inoperable bomb and gun.eaded to the capitol thinking he would blow himself up inside. he's charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against federal property. if indicted and convicted, he could face life in prison. >>> this morning, president obama will help kick off construction of the new national museum of african-american history and culture. he'll sfooek groundbreaking ceremony at 10:00. the museum will house artifacts from famous african-americans. it's scheduled to open in 2015 on the national mall at 14th and constitution avenue. >>> and because of all that, it's going to be tough to get around the national mall. there will be street closures. the streets affected are adjacent

amine el khalifi was arrested friday in an f.b.i. sting. agents say el khalifi volunteered to wear vests filled with explosives. he was arrested after given a vest filled with fakes. the judge ordered he be held without bond pending his indictment. >>> law enforcement agencies are telling capitol hill staffers to be extra vigilant about their mail. house speaker john boehner was the target of a letter containing suspicious powder as were several senators. so far the powder that's been tested is harmless, but the writer is threatening to send poison letters to other lawmakers. john stewart and steven colbert got warning letters as did "the new york times" and "washington post." >>> this is one of my favorite stories this morning. we've heard from these candidates for 20 debates now. here's a way to make politics more concise. at last night's republican presidential debate, one cnn viewer asked the candidates to describe themselves using one word. here's what they said. >> congressman paul? >> consistent. >> senator santorum? >> courage. >> s

amine el-khalifi-- was aarested on is way to carry out his attack. things are also returning to normal at a gatee coomunity in alexandria.... where it's at some point. it justtgoes to show you you never know who your neighbors a. are. phere wws still a heavy poliie presence in d-c.federal agents had monitored el-khalifiifor more than a year... before 3 slow start.fluuseason is since we''e had a flu season n - start this late.... and just stealing from theesupermaakett store...and theevideo that shhww the culppit in the act and how authorities tracked him ddwn.. ,3 3 health officials say the flu season is finally here-- the years.until this month, thhre weren't nough flu cases in tte u.s. to siinal the start usually starts in december or why this seaaon was slow, but it cculd be a combination of factors.so farrthe flu vaccine seems well-matched to the ptrains making peopleesick. 3 when news breaks.. you can access the latest information right on youu ceel phone. download the fox45 mobile news app ffr your droid or i-phonn. it includes headlines.. traf

they say el khalifi planned to commit a suicide bombing inside the u.s.apitol but the weapons and explosive vest he bought from undercover agents were fake. >>> d.c. police are investigating a string of robberies committed over the last 12 hours. three of the holdups happened in the second district in northwest washington. two of them happened at metro stations. one near woodley park station and the other near dupont circle. overall there are at least nine robberies in the city. in several cases the robbers had guns. fortunately no one was injured in any of these situations. >>> today the issue of sexual harassment on metro is expected to be raised at a d.c. city council meeting at a hearing. the group collective action for safe spaces is pushing metro to start public service campaigns with the goal of informing passengers what behavior is inappropriate and how best to report any harassment incidents. >>> in frederick county, maryland the county board pass add bill last night to make english its official language. according to our sister station, the bill

busted an fbi sting 21 year-old moroccan national faced a judge this afternoon in washington amine el khalifiday in a garage blocks from capitol with a bomb vest and a gun for from people he thought were al qaida operatives but they were undercover agents rendered the best inoperable. ready to start a suicide mission >> criminal investigation he was not just ready to think he was ready to move to the fact he is wearing a suicide vest convincing a jury this guy would act on what he believed >> also searched the suspect's home in virginia living illegally on an expired visa and 40 say under surveillance for several months. pop star whitney houston laid to rest tomorrow private funeral at the new hope baptist church in new jersey 1500 will be there including oprah winfrey beyonce and jay z. no word yet on ex-husband bobby brown will attend but suppose to be there is a very stormy relationship fans showing up outside the church leaving flowers and candles in her honor. streaming to the federal live on our website also watch on c ltv. wgntv.com coming up what you want in government? new poll looki

. >> reporter: the fbi says it first became interested in el khalifi about a year ago after receiving a tip. it's impossible to know if he could pull it off on his own, but disturbing how far he was willing to go. >> this kind of single person, so-called aspirational terrorist event is what they've been worried about for years. i guess it's a matter of staying ahead of them. >> reporter: right. of course, what they say is that in cases like this, it's people who will go beyond merely making statements. yes, they became interested when he was meeting with other people talking about this. they say it's the series of steps he kept taking, escalating every step of the way how far he was willing to go that made them decide now was the time to make the arrest. >> pete williams from the capitol and the story he's been reporting on all day. thanks. >>> across at the pentagon, defense officials are telling jim miklazewski that, quote, a good number of unmanned u.s. drones are currently operating in the skies over and around syria, monitoring the syrian military's attacks against opposition for

he has been named as amine el khalifi, a man out moroccan extraction and a legal immigrant. he was arrested a few blocks away from the capitol building which houses the u.s. congress. he was wearing what he thought was a vast packed with explosives that he planned to set off. they were fake and have been supplied by the fbi to him. that is why the fbi said there was never any danger to the public. he had been under surveillance for about a year or so. >> he was carrying fake explosives. is this another sting operation? >> that is the way it looks. this is when a suspect comes to the attention of the fbi and the fbi allows the suspect to continue plodding, making their plans and in some cases, they facilitate those plans in order to facilitate a stronger convictions. these are operations that have been used quite a lot by the fbi in recent years and have secured some very high-profile convictions. a man was sentenced to 23 years in prison after one such operation. despite misgivings on the part of some muslim and human-rights groups, the courts seem to like these quite a lot.

it is a preliminary hearing for amine el khalifi.arrested friday and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. court documents say el khalifi is a moroccan native in the u.s. illegally. his arrest was as a result of a year-long fbi sting operation. >>> time now 5:11. a much-needed face-lift for muni. >> the makeover for dozens of buses. >>> and nose jobs, lipo, botox, why teachers in one cash- strapped school district are getting plastic surgery on the taxpayer dime. >>> feeling like spring in the bay area today but a cooldown coming this weekend even a chance of snow at heavenly this weekend. headed toward kirkwood, they have 74" on the ground. impressive after the last series of storms and chance of snow. squaw valley looking to 48" on the ground and a chance of a few snow flurries. we'll have more on your weather when we come back. ,, ,,,,,, you know what's exciting, graduation. when i look up into my student's faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through uni