COLUMBUS – Newly unsealed court documents say a Columbus man charged with plotting a U.S. attack after receiving overseas training pleaded guilty nearly two years ago.
A court filing unsealed Thursday says Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 25, pleaded guilty in August 2015 to supporting terrorism, providing material support to a designated terrorist organization and making false statements to authorities.
“Mohamud admitted to traveling overseas, providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and receiving training from terrorists. He also admitted to returning to the United States and planning to conduct an attack on American soil. He will now be held accountable for his crimes,” said acting assistant Attorney General Boente.
Federal prosecutors say Mohamud, who reportedly grew up in Whitehall, received training in 2014 on weapons, combat and tactics in Syria, and then returned to the U.S. with a plan to kill military officers or others in uniform.
They say he also researched places to carry out attacks.
Mohamud’s attorney said Thursday he couldn’t comment on why it took two years to reveal the guilty pleas. He did say all sides have worked hard to come up with a fair resolution.
A Somali-born naturalized citizen of the U.S., Mohamud traveled to Greece on a U.S. passport in April 2014 and did not board his connecting flight to Athens during his layover in Istanbul, Turkey, according to court records.
Authorities say he crossed into Syria where he received weapons and tactics training from al-Nusrah Front, a terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda, engaged in a firefight and expressed his desire to die fighting in Syria. After his brother was killed while fighting for al-Nusrah Front, Mohamud returned to the United States where he planned to obtain weapons in order to kill military officers or other government employees or people in uniform.
Based on federal sentencing guidelines established by Congress, Mohamud could face up to 38 years in prison, said Jennifer Thornton, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman.