( CNN ) -- A former U.S. soldier charged with attempting to join a terrorist group was sentenced to seven years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to destroying records that could be used in a terror investigation , federal prosecutors said . U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz also sentenced the ex-soldier to five years of supervised release after his prison time . Craig Benedict Baxam , 26 , of Laurel , Maryland , was arrested in Kenya in December 2011 en route to southern Somalia where he planned to join al Shabaab , according to a summary of the plea agreement in a news release from U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod Rosenstein . `` Baxam told the agents that because of his prior service in the U.S. Army , and specifically his training and experience in military intelligence , he knew of the U.S. government 's capabilities in tracing internet protocol addresses and other investigative techniques , '' the plea agreement states . `` Consequently , before leaving the U.S. , he destroyed his personal home computer and threw the remains in a dumpster . '' The news release continues : `` He told the agents that he did not want any record left behind , and that he wanted to maintain a low profile . He also said that he purchased a round trip plane ticket to Kenya rather than a one-way ticket even though he had no intention of returning to the U.S. , in order not to arouse the suspicion of the FBI and U.S . military . '' According to a criminal complaint , Baxam departed the United States on December 20 , 2011 , for Kenya , where he was arrested three days later by Kenyan authorities on suspicion of terrorism . Baxam was interviewed twice by FBI agents while in Kenyan custody and allegedly told them he wanted to join al Shabaab , live under Sharia law and never intended to leave Somalia . Baxam told the FBI he did n't have the names of any contacts in Somalia but that he `` trusted in Allah , '' the complaint said . Baxam said he was `` looking for dying with a gun in my hand '' and said he would be guaranteed a place in paradise , according to the criminal complaint . Prosecutors said at the time of his arrest that Baxam had secretly converted to Islam 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 did not explain how Baxam left the Army early . A law enforcement official said at the time of his arrest that there was no information to suggest Baxam had compromised any military information . Prosecutors say Baxam cashed out his retirement savings account of more than $ 3,600 . He allegedly planned to give al-Shabaab between $ 600 and $ 700 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 . Al-Shabaab grew amid Somalia 's lawlessness . CNN 's Paul Courson and Carol Cratty contributed to this report .
Prosecutor : Craig Baxam dodged government tracing by destroying personal computer . Baxam , 26 , joined Army in 2007 , underwent months of cryptology , intelligence training . He was assigned to Fort Huachuca near Tucson where he worked as a civilian contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense. Prosecutors say Baxam secretly converted to Islam days before leaving the Army in 2011 .