COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 23-year-old Columbus man accused of plotting to commit terrorism in the U.S. after traveling to Syria for terrorist training is expected to enter not guilty pleas at an arraignment.
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A federal indictment says Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud of Columbus, left the country a year ago to train and fight with terrorists in Syria.
Mohamud’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, says the charges were expected and Mohamud will enter a not-guilty plea at a Friday hearing.
Mohamud was arrested and detained on state charges on Feb. 21, 2015.
The indictment charges Mohamud with one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to terrorists, one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of making false statements to the FBI involving international terrorism.
The indictment says Mohamud talked about going to a military base in Texas on his return to kill American soldiers with a backup plan to attack a prison but FBI special agent Chris Serdiank, who heads the Columbus Joint Terrorism Task Force, said he couldn’t discuss Mohamud’s terrorism targets.
It also says that his half-brother, Abdifatah Aden, formerly of Columbus, was a fighter engaged in violent jihad who was killed in 2014 while fighting in Syria.
The indictment lays out some details about Mohamud terrorism links based on email exchanges:
It says that Mohamud wrote to an unnamed person that he planned to go overseas and kill U.S. allies on the battlefield. Mohamud planned to travel to Syria to fight for Al-Nusrah Front, a foreign terrorist organization that his brother, Aden, was fighting with.
Aden had left Columbus to fight with terrorists in May 2013, the investigation found.
In February 2014 Mohamud offered to send Aden money and, in April 2014, Mohamud traveled overseas to bring Aden $1,000 and to train in Syria. He was trained in shooting weapons, breaking into houses, explosives and hand-to-hand combat, according to the indictment.
The indictment claims Mohamud told authorities he was about to begin fighting for a Syrian organization when a cleric with the group told him to return to the United States and carry out an act of terrorism, the indictment says. He returned in June 2014, four days after his brother Aden was killed.
The indictment says Mohamud was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen on Feb. 18, 2014. A week later he submitted his U.S. passport application.
Using the passport, prosecutors say, Mohamud, purchased a one-way ticket to Greece. He did not board his connecting flight to Athens, Greece during his layover in Istanbul, Turkey, and instead completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria.