Capitol bomb plotter handed 30-year jail sentence

A man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for plotting to detonate a suicide bomb at the US Capitol building in an undercover sting.

The term imposed on 29-year-old Amine El-Khalifi, of Alexandria, Virginia, was the highest allowed under a plea deal.

El-Khalifi admitted plotting with undercover agents he believed were from al Qaida and volunteering to run a suicide operation at the home of Congress in Washington DC.

He even went as far as to don what he thought was a bomb-laden vest.

At today’s hearing, El-Khalifi expressed no remorse and said only that he loves Allah.

Defence lawyers said the sting operation preyed on El-Khalifi’s financial woes by giving him nearly 6,000 dollars (£3,700).

Prosecutors say El-Khalifi came to authorities’ attention in part by answering a Facebook post seeking to recruit Muslim holy warriors.