“Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public,” according to a Justice Department spokesman.

A Capitol Police spokesman claimed that at no point “was the public or congressional community in any danger.”

In the past few years within the DC area there have been undercover operations against suspects planning to carry out terrorist attacks. As it turns out these operations have been closely watched by FBI agents.

At this time, there are no details regarding the suspect or the charges being brought against him.

UPDATE

The suspect, Amine el-Khalifi an illegal immigrant living in Alexandria, VA, was arrested with a non-functional gun and explosive vest. Khalifi thought he was coordinating with the Al Qaeda network but it turned out to be undercover FBI agents. He had been under surveillance for the past year. This was reported by the Washington Post.