Dallas Bomb Suspect in Court Today

A teenage illegal immigrant from Jordan who allegedly planned to blow up a Dallas skyscraper appeared in federal court on Friday morning .

Mosam Maher Husein Smadi, 19, faced a judge around 11 a.m., just blocks away from the building that, according to investigators, he attempted to destroy.

Observers described Smadi as a small, soft-spoken man who speaks little English.

In court, he told the judge that he understood his rights, and he accepted a court-appointed attorney .

That lawyer said Smadi seemed to him to be a confused and scared young man.

Smadi will likely be transferred to a federal holding facility until his next Dallas court date on Oct. 5.

FBI agents arrested Smadi on Thursday afternoon for attempting to detonate an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place, a 60-story glass office tower located at 1445 Ross Ave.

Smadi is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

• Read the affidavit for Smadi's arrest. (PDF)
• Hear more details about the terror plot. Click to play the first clip in the video player.

According to a news release, Smadi had been living and working in Italy, Texas.

"He has repeatedly espoused his desire to commit violent Jihad and has been the focus of an undercover FBI investigation," the release states.

• FOX 4's Sophia Reza visited the place where Smadi worked. Click on the second clip in the video player to hear more about his life in Texas.

Undercover agents posing as members of an al-Qaida sleeper cell were introduced to him and they said he made clear his intention to serve as a soldier for Osama Bin Ladin and al-Qaida. He told them he came to the country specifically to commit violent Jihad "for the sake of God."

The agents meeting with Smadi said they tried to discourage him from violence on several occasions, the release states.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Smadi said in his native Arabic language, "Oh my brothers! O how I love, my brothers, to perform Jihad with you in the same rank, in the same field, against the enemy. I have chosen to be a Mujahid with my self, blood, soul and body. [That is] more precious to me than this world and its money, women and amusements. By God, I shall support Osama, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, al-Rantisi and all who performed Jihad in this world."

In June, Smadi allegedly met with the undercover agents to discuss possible targets, which included the National Guard Armory, a Dallas airport and an unidentified bank near the airport. In July he reportedly told the agents he had changed his mind about the initial targets and instead identified the Wells Fargo bank located inside the Fountain Place skyscraper, according to the affidavit.

"I have decided to change the target. Let us make it the big fish instead of the smaller fish; they are all fish in one sea - the main bank for the city and not the branch that we had identified. God willing, the strike will be certain and strong. It will shake the current weak economy in the State and the American nation because this bank is one of the largest banks in this city," Smadi is quoted in the affidavit.

The Fountain Place skyscraper is the fifth tallest building in Dallas. It is 720 feet tall and has about 26,000 panes of exterior glass. It houses federal agencies, an architecture firm, the Wells Fargo bank and the popular Avanti restaurant.

• Read more quotes from Smadi in the arrest warrant affidavit.
• Learn about the Fountain Place tower. Click on the third clip in the video player to watch FOX 4's Emily Lopez's report.

The agents said they met with Smadi again in late August to discuss the logistics and timing of the attack. He stated he would have preferred to do the attack on Sept. 11, but decided to wait until after the month of Ramadan, which ended this past weekend, the FBI said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, FBI agents said they secretly ensured Smadi had only an inactive explosive device which contained no explosive materials.

Coincidently, the Ellis County Sheriff's Department said Smadi was arrested on Sept. 11 because he had no driver's license or insurance.

The FBI said Thursday's arrest is not related to recent terrorist events in Colorado, New York or Springfield . According to the FBI, investigations determined he was not associated with other terrorist organizations.

"The highest priority of the FBI and the Department of Justice remains the prevention of another terrorist attack within the United States," said James T. Jacks, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. "In that effort, it is the job of the FBI to locate and identify individuals intent upon carrying out any type of attack upon this country and its citizens/residents."

• Hear what Richard Roper, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said about the case against Smadi. Click on the fourth video clip in the player.

In a statement to the media, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert