CHICAGO: A Saudi national was convicted Wednesday of plotting attacks on the Texas home of former US president George W. Bush, nuclear plants, hydroelectric dams and other targets, prosecutors said.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 22, was arrested last year after a chemical supplier became suspicious when he tried to order concentrated phenol, a toxic chemical that has legitimate uses but is also a powerful bomb-making tool.
The FBI found journal entries and emails in which he wrote about how he sought a scholarship to a Texas university in order to be able to "target the infidel Americans" and detailed how he would carry out Jihad.
One email he sent himself with the title "targets" contained the names and home addresses of three members of the US military who had been stationed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Another, titled "Tyrant's House," listed Bush's address in Dallas.
The FBI also found evidence that he was looking into using dolls to conceal explosives, targeting a nightclub with a backpack bomb and had emailed himself instructions on how to convert a cell phone into a remote detonator and how to booby-trap a vehicle using household items.
"This case serves as another reminder of the need for continued vigilance both at home and abroad," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco.
"As this trial demonstrated, Aldawsari purchased ingredients to construct an explosive device and was actively researching potential targets in the United States," Monaco said in a statement.
"Thanks to the efforts of many agents, analysts and prosecutors, this plot was thwarted before it could advance further."
Aldawsari faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine after being convicted of one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. His sentencing was set for October 9. (AFP)