Mass. terror suspect was asked to leave mosque

[September 30, 2011]  BOSTON (AP) -- A Massachusetts man accused of plotting to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol was asked to leave a Boston mosque because of his radical views.

An official with the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center says Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland was suspected of sympathizing with al-Qaida and criticized the mosque's participation in interfaith efforts and politics.

Atif Harden, director of institutional advancement at the mosque, tells The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/ojW4kf) that Ferdaus disapproved of the mosque's policies that allowed men and women to eat together in its cafe and was hostile toward women he thought dressed inappropriately or who talked to men.

Harden called Ferdaus "very disaffected, very disturbed. Just a bitter, angry guy."

The 26-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested Wednesday.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe/

[Associated Press]

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