Ohio man pleads not guilty to plotting military base attack

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – An Ohio man pleaded not guilty Friday to charges he traveled to Syria and trained alongside terrorists, then returned to the U.S. with plans to attack a military base in Texas or a prison.

Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, a U.S. citizen originally from Somalia, wanted to “kill three or four American soldiers execution style,” according to the indictment. Attacking the prison was part of a backup plan if that didn’t work, the charges said.

The charges were expected after his arrest earlier this year, said his attorney, Sam Shamansky. He said it was too early to talk about the specific charges.

The indictment also says Mohamud’s brother, Abdifatah Aden, fought with Jabhat al-Nusrah, a State Department-designated terrorist group, until he was killed in battle in Syria in June 2014.

Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, was charged with supporting terrorism, supporting a terrorist group and making a false statement involving international terrorism. Prosecutors said he lied to an Ohio FBI agent by saying he was in Istanbul when authorities say he was in Syria.

Mohamud was arrested in Columbus in February on state terrorism and money laundering counts.

Mohamud became a U.S. citizen in February 2014, according to the government.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, said the charges highlight the threat posed by Americans joining extremists overseas then returning home.

Events leading to Mohamud’s arrest began around September 2013 when he communicated online with his brother about plans to travel to Syria to fight, the indictment said. They later talked about ways Mohamud could support him financially, according to the government.

Mohamud told his brother of his desire to “join you in the high ranks as a Mujahid,” or violent jihadist, according to the indictment.

Mohamud also told a U.S. associate he was happy about his brother’s death and said he “was next and would join Aden soon,” the indictment said.

A year ago, Mohamud bought a one-way plane ticket to Athens with a connection in Istanbul, where he got off and didn’t board his next flight, the indictment said. Instead, he ended up in Syria where he received training, “including shooting weapons, breaking into houses, explosives, and hand-to-hand combat,” the government said. A cleric then instructed him to return to the U.S. to carry out an act of terrorism, according to the government.