A man attempted to blow up the New York Federal Reserve building in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday with a van filled with what he thought were explosives.
An official with the New York FBI confirmed to FOX Business that federal officials arrested the suspect. The official stressed that the public was never in harm's way.
According to the New York Post, the Middle Eastern individual had been provided explosives from an undercover FBI agent that he met online and believed to be an accomplice.
The individual, who officials didn’t immediately identify, had parked the van outside of the fortress-like building that is located on Liberty Street, the paper reported.
The man then went to the Millennium Hotel near the World Trade Center where he called what he believed was a cell phone detonator inside the van, which did not explode, the paper said.
After the suspect raised red flags by posting about Jihad online, the FBI agent made contact about three months ago and helped him plan for the fake attack, the Post reported.
The man lives on Long Island and is currently in custody in New York, NBC 4 New York reported.
Law enforcement officials said the public was never at risk as the plot was a sting operation and being monitored by both the FBI and the New York City Police Department. 
Located at 33 Liberty Street, the NY Fed is believed to hold one of the largest stockpiles of gold in the world. The bank is one of 12 regional Fed banks in the U.S. and works with the Federal Reserve to implement monetary policy and also regulates Wall Street.