Antonio Martinez Pleads Guilty in Catonsville Bomb Plot

The Baltimore-area man outside a Catonsville military recruiting station pleaded guilty Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Antonio Martinez, 22, who had lived in Baltimore and Woodlawn, was arrested Dec. 8, 2010 after FBI agents working undercover gave him a fake bomb to detonate outside the on Baltimore National Pike.

He came to the attention of federal law enforcement officials in October 2010 when he began an association with an informant for the FBI, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Through discussions with the informant, Martinez described his interest in attacking military targets in conversations that were recorded by the FBI. Martinez allegedly tried to recruit three other people to join in the operation, but all three declined.

One of those whom Martinez tried to recruit was a confidential source for the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release. The source then put Martinez in touch with the undercover agent.

FBI Special Agent Richard A. McFeely said in a release that this was an example of "outstanding partnerships between the Muslim community and law enforcement."

According to the charging document, Martinez chose the Route 40 recruiting station as his target. The informant offered to introduce Martinez to his "Afghan brother" with access to weapons. The "brother" was actually an undercover FBI agent.

The charging documents filed by federal officials describe a young man beset with obstacles to his plan, including an inability to acquire guns due to a criminal record and a lack of knowledge about how to detonate an improvised explosive device.

In September and October of 2010, Martinez posted a series of comments to his with a religious theme. On Nov. 3, law enforcement agents observed Martinez in a public location in Woodlawn watching videos of Osama bin Laden, Iraqi martyrdom videos and videos of men in traditional Muslim attire firing assault rifles.

In January of 2011, Martinez pleaded . An attorney at the time said  that the case was entrapment, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26 and could face 25 years in prison.