Rabat Condemns Alleged U.S. Capitol Bomb Plot

Rabat has condemned an alleged plot to bomb the U.S. Capitol over which a Moroccan suspect was arrested, the official MAP agency reported Monday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested Amine el-Khalifi, a 29-year-old immigrant from Morocco living illegally in the U.S. state of Virginia, in a sting operation.

He was arrested blocks from the Capitol building as he planned to detonate what he believed to be an explosive vest but was in fact equipment rendered inoperable that had been handed to him by undercover FBI agents.

Morocco "condemns extremist ideas and their manifestation through violent acts," the kingdom said in a statement issued by its embassy in the United States and quoted by MAP.

The North African Muslim country "offers its support and assistance to the U.S. authorities as they probe this case and reaffirms its commitment to the solid ties that bind the kingdom and the United States," it said.

The Justice Department said Khalifi had originally considered several different targets, including U.S. military offices, a synagogue and a restaurant frequented by US military officials, but eventually settled on the U.S. Capitol.