A 23-year-old resident of Columbus , Ohio , who trained with a group affiliated with al Qaeda has been arrested and charged with plotting an attack on American soil , the Justice Department revealed today . Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud , a naturalized American citizen of Somali descent , had been instructed by a cleric to return to the United States and carry out an act of terrorism , the indictment said . The Justice Department stated that Mohamud was also an Islamic State sympathizer , and that his brother , Abdifatah Aden , was killed fighting with the group in Syria in 2013 . Terror suspect : Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud , 23 , from Columbus , Ohio , has been arrested and charged with supporting terrorism after getting training in Syria . According to court documents , Mohamud left the US a year ago with the intent to go to Syria and train with a terrorist group linked to al Qaeda in Iraq . In April 2014 , he purchased a one-way ticket to Greece , but during a layover in Istanbul he failed to board a connecting flight to Athens and instead made his way to Syria . Once he reached his destination , Mohamud stated that he received training in shooting weapons , breaking into houses , explosives and hand-to-hand combat . The 23-year-old Columbus man aloes said that after completing his training , a cleric with the group Jabhat al-Nusrah instructed him to return to the US and commit an act of terror . The 23-year-old returned to the US in June 2014 with a plot to attack a military base or a correctional facility , targeting people in uniform , according to court documents . 'Mohamud talked about doing something big in the United States , ' the papers cited by ABC News indicate . 'He wanted to go to a military base in Texas and kill three or four American soldiers execution style . ' On Thursday , Mohamud was indicted on 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 . The first two counts , providing material support to terrorists and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization are each crimes punishable by up to 15 years in prison . Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud , left , speaks with his defense attorney , Sam Shamansky , during a hearing to set bond on state charges of money laundering and providing support for terrorism in February . Making false statements involving international terrorism carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison . Mohamud was arrested on state charges February 21 , 2015 , and is expected to be transferred into federal custody based on today ’ s indictment . Before Mohamud 's brother was killed in battle on or around June 3 , 2014 , the two had exchanged emails discussing the 23-year-old 's plans to travel to Syria and fight with Islamic State . In February , Mohamud asked Abdifatah Aden how he could send him money . Later that month , Mohamud was arrested at his Columbus home for allegedly providing a computer tablet an other material support to terroist organizations aborad . Prosecutor Ron O'Brien at the time asked a judge to set Mohamud 's bond at $ 1million saying he was a flight risk and posed a threat to public safety . Mohamud 's attorney , Sam Shamansky , insisted that his client was not a terrorist and would not flee because he was taking care of his ailing mother in Ohio .
MohamudAbdirahman Sheik Mohamud , 23 , from Columbus , said he got training from terror group linked to al Qaeda in Syria . Was instructed by cleric to return to US and carry out terror attack . His suspected plan was to go to a military base and kill three-four soldiers 'execution-style ' Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud was arrested in February on state charges of money laundering and providing support for terrorism . If convicted in federal case , the 3-year-old could face up to 40 years in prison .