Ohio man charged with providing support to al-Qaida affiliate in Syria

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/16/ohio-man-charged-supprting-al-qaida-affiliate-syria

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Federal charges have been brought against an Ohio man who allegedly trained in Syria with Islamist militants, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, is accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and making false statements to the FBI, according to an indictment.

Federal authorities said that Mohamud reportedly left the US in April 2014 “for the purpose of training and fighting with terrorists in Syria”.

After arriving in Syria, Mohamud, a naturalized US citizen who had been living in Columbus, received training in shooting weapons, breaking into houses, explosives and hand-to-hand combat by Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN), the al-Qaida-affiliated in Syria, the Justice Department said. Mohamud was later instructed by a cleric, identified as an affiliate of the group by a US law enforcement official, to return to the US, with intent to commit an act of terror.

According to the indictment, Mohamud told an unidentified person that while in Syria he had received combat training. Mohamud said his instructions to return to the US came just before he was due to start fighting with militants in Syria.

At least 15,000 foreign jihadis have flocked to Iraq and Syria to participate in the twin conflicts there, according to a recent UN report. Of those, dozens of Americans are known to have traveled to Syria, raising concerns that some could return to the US to launch attacks.

US officials have charged several people with attempting to support terrorism. Last month, federal authorities took a 17-year-old Virginia high school student into custody for allegedly helping a man make his way to Syria to take up arms with Isis. Similarly, a 19-year-old Minnesota man was indicted on accusations that he tried to support Isis after being pulled off an airplane bound for Turkey last year. Three Brooklyn men were also recently been charged with allegedly trying to join Isis. A 20-year-old Kansan man was charged last week with planning a suicide bomb attack at Fort Riley, in an alleged plot to support Isis.

Most recent cases concern American citizens accused of attempting to join the Islamic State group, or provide material support for them. But at least one American is known to have joined JAN. Twenty-two-year-old Moner Mohammad Abusalha of South Florida killed himself in a suicide attack last year, fighting for JAN. He had traveled to Syria more than once, and law enforcement officials had reportedly been aware of his trips to the region.

Mohamud’s brother, Aden, was killed fighting with JAN, the indictment said.

With his US passport, Mohamud purchased a one-way ticket to Greece, the Justice Department said. He did not board his connecting flight during his layover in Istanbul however, and instead “completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria”.

Mohamud’s plan was to attack a US military base, according to the indictment, but he also had a backup plan to attack a prison.

Mohamud was arrested and detained on state charges on 21 February. He faces up to 38 years in prison: 15 for each count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and for providing material support to terrorists, and eight for making false statements involving international terrorism.

The AP contributed to this report