Man attempting bomb attack on Capitol arrested in sting operation, FBI official says The FBI has arrested a man suspected of plotting to set off a bomb in Washington, D.C., near the US Capitol. WASHINGTON - The FBI has arrested a man who authorities said thought he was going to carry out a bombing attack on the U.S. Capitol building but was in fact dealing with FBI undercover operatives for the past few months. The man, said by law enforcement officials to be from Morocco and in his late 20s, was arrested about noon ET Friday near the Capitol after he received what he thought was a vest containing explosives. In fact, it had inert material that wasn't hazardous. An FBI official said the man had expressed a desire to carry out a terrorist attack. By the end, he was willing to carry out a suicide mission, which makes this case different from most sting operations. Authorities said they believe the man - whose name hasn't been released - was acting alone. His apparent target was to have been the Capitol visitors' center, because "he wanted to set off the explosives where people would be around," an official said. Officials said they doubted that he could have pulled off the attack by himself but said that is always the unknown factor in a sting of this kind. Agents are conducting searches in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Va., where the man, had been living. He was apparently in the United States illegally, having overstayed his visa, officials said.