COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 17 (UPI) -- A suspected al-Qaida-trained terrorist in Columbus, Ohio, will undergo psychiatric testing before his trial for plotting to bomb a shopping mall.
Prosecutor's did not oppose the judge's order for federal psychiatric assessment for Nuradin Abdi, a Somali-born immigrant accused of plotting with others to blow up a Columbus-area shopping mall, the Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday.
Abdi, 32, is accused of traveling to Ethiopia to train for violence against U.S. and foreign targets. Federal authorities say he plotted with at least two other men, including Iyman Faris, who is serving 20 years in prison for scouting the Brooklyn Bridge and other possible targets for al-Qaida.
Abdi, 32, has been held in Ohio jails since Nov. 28, when he was taken from his home on an immigration charge.
Magistrate Mark Abel said hearings will resume after the evaluation, which should be done within 90 days.
