BREAKING NEWS: Federal authorities have arrested a man on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he intended as a suicide mission.

The man, in his 30s and of Moroccan descent, was nabbed following a lengthy investigation by the FBI, initiated after he expressed interest in conducting an attack. It’s unclear how the FBI learned of his aspirations.

Federal authorities have reportedly arrested a man on his way to the U.S. Capitol on a would-be suicide mission. (AP)

The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him in his plot were associates of Al Qaeda.

When he was arrested Friday in Washington, he was carrying with him a vest supposedly packed with explosives, but the material inside was not actually dangerous, Fox News was told.

A short time earlier, he had been praying at a mosque in the Washington area. His destination was Capitol Hill.

The public was never in danger, as he had been under constant surveillance for some time.

According to Fox, the man was arrested near Louisiana and Pennsylvania avenues, within sight of the Capitol building. source – The Blaze