A Bangladeshi man who wanted to detonate a 9,000 pound bomb outside the Federal Reserve building last year blamed his murderous plot on a childhood stammering problem and an unfaithful girlfriend, according to papers filed in Brooklyn federal court.
Quazi Nafis was arrested last October after he conspired with undercover FBI agents posing as sympathizers who supplied him with a fake bomb to use in the Federal Reserve Bank attack, which Nafis tried to detonate with a radio-controlled triggering device. He is slated to be sentenced for the Jihadist plot Friday.
In a plea for leniency, Nafis wrote a remorseful letter to the court in which he explained the roots of his violent plans before explaining that he has come to love the United States — right down to the film “American Pie.”
Nafis — who faces life in prison — said that a pronounced stuttering problem turned him into a loner during his life in Bangladesh and made him vulnerable to impressive sounding Jihadists.
He also claimed to the court that his spiral accelerated after he found out that a girl he loved in Bangladesh was cheating on him.
The betrayal propelled Nafis into suicidal thoughts, he wrote. But he stated that Islam prohibited that step and that he figured that a violent plot would be a better way to go.
The would be bomber – who was busted by undercover agents the day of the planned blast – said that he has re-examined his religion in jail and has rejected the radical interpretation of Islam.
Nafis even lavished praise on the Metropolitan Detention Center where he enjoyed “delicious food” and kind prison guards.
“Truly, after being in prison, my viewpoint towards America has really changed,” he said. “Your honor, I love Americans.”