A 28-year-old former Marine has pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to blow up an Oakland bank with a car bomb.

The Oakland Tribune reports Matthew Aaron Llaneza of San Jose entered the plea Friday in federal court. If convicted, he could face life in prison for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

LLaneza's attorney says his client was found to suffer from significant mental illness but was competent to stand trial.

Authorites say Llaneza tried to blow up a Bank of America branch last month and ignite a civil war by blaming the bombing on anti-government militias.

LLaneza has been held in jail since he was caught in an FBI sting operation involving an agent posing as a member of the Taliban.