FBI arrests Ohio man for alleged al Qaeda plot

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - An Ohio man suspected of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to bomb targets in Europe and the United States has been indicted and appeared in court on Thursday, the Justice Department said.

The FBI arrested Christopher Paul, a 43-year-old U.S. citizen, late on Wednesday after a four-year investigation of his alleged involvement with al Qaeda in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Germany, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Paul joined al Qaeda in 1991 and later trained and supported German co-conspirators planning to bomb European tourist resorts frequented by American citizens, as well as U.S. embassies, consulates and military bases overseas, according to the indictment.

He also targeted a person in the United States, it said.

Paul, a native of Columbus, Ohio, made a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Columbus on Thursday to hear the charges. His lawyer, Don Wolery, said Paul would plead not guilty at an arraignment on Friday.

"He's not guilty, that's his position," Wolery said in a telephone interview. He declined further comment.

The FBI said it had no evidence that the attacks planned by Paul were ever carried out, but could not rule out that Paul had been involved with co-conspirators who committed attacks overseas.

"There were no attacks in the United States," Cincinnati FBI special agent Michael Brooks told Reuters. "The indictment against him charges that he has conspired with others both here and overseas to engage in terrorist acts. Among the overt acts he is accused of in that conspiracy is training with other individuals overseas. I cannot state whether or not some of those individuals may have been involved in terrorist acts."

Paul also is suspected of conducting research, beginning in 2006, on remote-controlled boats, a model remote-controlled helicopter and flight simulators for commercial aircraft, the indictment said.

"The indictment of Christopher Paul paints a disturbing picture of an American who traveled overseas to train as a violent jihadist, joined the ranks of al Qaeda, and provided military instruction and support to radical cohorts both here and abroad," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein said in a statement.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Columbus said government prosecutors would ask that Paul remain in custody until his trial.