Mass. Man Busted on Terror Charges

Federal authorities arrested a 27-year-old man just outside of Boston today, saying he planned to attack a shopping mall with automatic weapons. The man, Tariq Mehanna, had been out on bail following an arrest last year for allegedly lying about the whereabouts of a man trained by al-Qaeda to fight the Somali government. He’s facing charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Authorities say he conspired with two other men, identifying one as Ahmad Abousamra, and that his arrest will foil attacks inside and outside the US. The conspirators allegedly had multiple conversations about the logistics of shooting up the mall, including possible attacks on emergency responders. (More terrorism stories.)