A man has been arrested in Chicago, Illinois after allegedly plotting to blow up a baseball arena where The Dave Matthews Band was performing on Saturday night (18Sep10).
Sami Samir Hassoun was ambushed by a team of police and federal agents moments after dropping what he thought was a bomb into a trash can outside of Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs team, on Saturday.
The 22 year old had been under surveillance by FBI officials for months and they followed Hassoun as he planted the explosive, which, unknown to the suspect, turned out to be a fake.
Authorities claim Hassoun planned to blow up the arena and inflict chaos at the venue as gig-goers left the building, in protest of outgoing Chicago mayor Richard Daley's administration.
In the months leading up to the failed bomb plot, cops claim the Lebanese native had plotted to poison the city's water supply, target popular nightspots and detonate car bombs across Chicago, as well as assassinate the politician.
His actions were monitored by an FBI informant, who had gained access to his inner circle of cohorts.
Hassoun appeared in court on Monday (20Sep10), when he was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to detonate an explosive device.