Saudi bomb plotter held in US

WASHINGTON: A Saudi man has been arrested for allegedly buying chemicals and equipment to make a bomb and researching US targets, including the Dallas home of former president George W. Bush, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a Saudi national and a legal resident of Texas, was arrested late Wednesday and faces charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

According to the FBI, Aldawsari wrote himself an email entitled "NICE TARGETS," and then listed two types of targets: hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants. In another email titled "Tyrant's House," he listed the address of Bush's home.

The authorities' affidavit also alleges that Aldawsari researched using dolls to hide explosives and concealing them in a backpack to target a nightclub.

He is expected to make his first court appearance in Texas on Friday. (AFP)