WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) expressed its relief that law enforcement officials were able to disrupt an attempt to attack several targets including the home of former president George W. Bush. Early reports have shown that Khalid Ali-Aldawsari, a 20-year-old Texas student from Saudi Arabia who was arrested and accused of planning to build bombs, acted alone, “a clear reminder that the act of one does not speak for the whole nation of Muslim Americans” as the MPAC said in a statement. Ali-Aldawsari, according to an FBI affadavit, indicated in online research and a journal that he was considering attacking Bush’s Dallas home, former soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, and night clubs according to the Washington Post.

MPAC stressed that extremism is “impotent as a tool for creating change” and “morally bankrupt” while also noting the immense effects of peaceful revolution in the Middle East. The group also encouraging citizens to work with law enforcement to report such incidents and noted that Ali-Aldawsari is innocent until proven guilty and deserves to have a fair trial.

Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of American Muslims.