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Bomb Bank, Man Attempted To Bomb Bank, A 28-year-old man was arrested Friday in Oakland after he allegedly tried to detonate a vehicle-borne explosive device at a bank, authorities said.
Matthew Aaron Llaneza, a resident of San Jose, allegedly selected a Bank of America branch as the site for an intended terrorist attack, but he was thwarted by a sting operation that rendered the device impotent, authorities said.
On Nov. 30, Llaneza met with a man who led him to believe he was connected with the Taliban and the mujahidin in Afghanistan. The man was actually an undercover FBI agent who monitored Llaneza closely over subsequent months, according to the federal complaint against him.
Llaneza was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against property used in an activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce.Court documents say Llaneza expressed a desire to commit violent jihad and talked about wanting to flee the U.S. after the bombing, but a federal official says his precise motive was unclear. Court documents say he chose a Bank of America branch in Oakland as the target for the attack and offered to drive the car bomb to the bank. In January and February, they say, he and the undercover agent built the supposed bomb.
Investigators say Llaneza bought two cell phones to be used in detonating the device. Thursday night, they say, he drove an SUV containing the device and parked it under an overhang on the bank building, then walked a safe distance away and tried to set it off, when he was then arrested.
The device had earlier been rendered inoperable by the FBI.
He had his initial appearance in court this morning and will be back for a bail hearing next Wednesday in Oakland.
Matthew Aaron Llaneza, a resident of San Jose, allegedly selected a Bank of America branch as the site for an intended terrorist attack, but he was thwarted by a sting operation that rendered the device impotent, authorities said.
On Nov. 30, Llaneza met with a man who led him to believe he was connected with the Taliban and the mujahidin in Afghanistan. The man was actually an undercover FBI agent who monitored Llaneza closely over subsequent months, according to the federal complaint against him.
Llaneza was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against property used in an activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce.Court documents say Llaneza expressed a desire to commit violent jihad and talked about wanting to flee the U.S. after the bombing, but a federal official says his precise motive was unclear. Court documents say he chose a Bank of America branch in Oakland as the target for the attack and offered to drive the car bomb to the bank. In January and February, they say, he and the undercover agent built the supposed bomb.
Investigators say Llaneza bought two cell phones to be used in detonating the device. Thursday night, they say, he drove an SUV containing the device and parked it under an overhang on the bank building, then walked a safe distance away and tried to set it off, when he was then arrested.
The device had earlier been rendered inoperable by the FBI.
He had his initial appearance in court this morning and will be back for a bail hearing next Wednesday in Oakland.
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