Alleged Suicide Bomber

It's unnerving to think that while we're all going about our regular, day-to-day business, there are terrorists plotting suicide attacks on U.S. soil. It's just not something we think about as an everyday threat, but Friday, we're reminded that it could very well be our reality. News recently broke that the FBI and Capital Police have arrested a 29-year-old Moroccan man named Amine el-Khailif Friday in downtown D.C  after a lengthy investigation into an alleged plot to carry out a suicide attack on the Capital. Apparently FBI agents posed as al-Qaeda associates and provided el-Khalifi with an inoperable gun and a fake suicide vest. The man had these items on him when he was taken into custody on Friday, as he was on his way to the Capitol for what he thought would be the suicide attack.Geeze, the intense lead-up to this arrest sounds like a plot right out of a Bourne movie or another popcorn flick thriller  which makes it even scarier. I can't help but wonder how they suspected el-Khalifi was going to attempt an attack. All officials are saying about the situation so far is that he is an illegal immigrant who had been living in Virginia, had been under investigation for about a year, and had overstayed his visitor visa for years. Reportedly, the arrest occurred only after a "lengthy and extensive operation during which the individual was closely and carefully monitored," according to a news release from the Capitol Police. I'm sure there are quite a few more details here we're not hearing. And the info that is floating around is a bit hazy, like the fact that law enforcement officials said el-Khalifi is not believed to be associated with al-Qaeda ... even though he was cooperating with men he thought were al-Qaeda? Nonetheless, it sounds like officials involved will be more forthcoming with additional information sooner or later. For now, it sounds like he could have been a major threat to the government and thousands of people today. Thank goodness what could have been a terrible attack was preempted by the FBI.