A Virginian man who was accused of conspiring to plan multiple bombings at subway stations in the U.S. capital area had sought to fight Americans in Afghanistan, according to court records released on Thursday. Farooque Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, had told undercover FBI operatives who he thought were al-Qaeda members that 'he wanted to fight and kill Americans in Afghanistan, ' FBI agent Charles A. Dayoub said in an affidavit in support of a warrant to search Ahmed's home. The 34-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday and accused of attempting to target rail stations 'with the goal of killing as many Metro riders as possible through simultaneous bomb attacks,' according to the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. Ahmed said he was willing to be a martyr and hoped to participate in jihad in Afghanistan or Pakistan in January 2011, according to court records. He had studied martial arts, use of firearms, learned knife and disarming techniques and could teach these skills to others, the records said. The Justice Department stressed that at no time was the public in danger during the investigation and that the FBI was aware of Ahmed's activities from before the alleged attempt began and closely monitored his activities until his arrest. 