WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- A former U.S. Army soldier was charged Monday with attempting to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist group Al-Shabaab , according to the Justice Department . Craig Benedict Baxam , 24 , was arrested Friday at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as he returned from a failed effort to get to Somalia , authorities said . The Maryland resident had an initial court appearance Monday afternoon on the charge of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group . The only time Baxam spoke during the hearing was to respond `` Yes '' when the judge asked if he understood the charge against him and the possible penalty . Magistrate Judge William Connolly ordered that Baxam will remain in jail at least until he returns to court Wednesday for a detention hearing . According to a criminal complaint , Baxam departed the United States on December 20 en route to Kenya and tried to travel on to Somalia from there . He was arrested by Kenyan authorities on December 23 , on suspicion of terrorism . Baxam was interviewed twice by FBI agents while he was in Kenyan custody and allegedly told them he wanted to join Al-Shabaab , live under Sharia law and never intended to to leave Somalia . According to the criminal complaint , Baxam said he was `` looking for dying with a gun in my hand '' and said he would be guaranteed a place in paradise . Prosecutors say Baxam secretly converted to Islam just days before leaving the Army in July . He joined the Army in 2007 and underwent eight months of advanced training for cryptology and intelligence , according to the government . After his training , Baxam was deployed to Baghdad and to South Korea where he separated from the service one month before the completion of his deployment . The court document does not explain how Baxam left the Army early . A law enforcement official said there is no information to suggest Baxam compromised any military information . `` Mr. Baxam was caught in Kenya before he reached Somalia , and there is no allegation that anyone assisted him , '' said Rod Rosenstein , U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland . According to the criminal complaint , Baxam told the FBI he did n't have names of any contacts to reach out to in Somalia but that he `` trusted in Allah . '' `` He was asked what he thought his role would be with Al-Shabaab to which he stated that he would just be another body there , '' according to the court document . Prosecutors say Baxam cashed out his retirement savings account of a little over $ 3,600 dollars and purchased a round trip ticket to Kenya to avoid arousing suspicion . He allegedly planned to give Al-Shabaab some amount between $ 600 and $ 700 dollars as an offering upon his arrival , authorities said . `` FBI Special Agents in Africa , working alongside our Kenyan police partners , worked together to stop an individual who is now alleged to have been on his way to join a major terrorist group , '' said Richard McFeely , the FBI agent in charge of the Baltimore office . `` This spirit of cooperation in fighting terrorism continues to transcend borders around the world . '' If convicted of attempting to provide material support to terrorists , Baxam faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release . CNN 's Paul Courson contributed to this report .
The man was arrested Friday as he returned to the United States . Authorities say he had traveled to Kenya and was hoping to gon on to Somalia . Prosecutors say he claimed he intended to join the terrorist group Al-Shabaab . An official says there is no indication that any military information was compromised .