WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A former U.S. Army soldier is charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Shabaab, a Somali militant group, the Justice Department said.
Craig Benedict Baxam, 24, of Laurel, Md., was arrested Friday when he returned to the United States from a trip to Africa, the Justice Department said Monday in a release.
"The complaint alleges that Craig Baxam intended to travel to Somalia and join the terrorist organization al-Shabaab," said U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein for the District of Maryland. "Mr. Baxam was caught in Kenya before he reached Somalia, and there is no allegation that anyone assisted him."
The affidavit supporting the complaint alleges Baxam converted to Islam just before separating from the Army. He allegedly decided to relocate to Somalia to join al-Shabaab and live under Shariah law. In February 2008, the State Department designated al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization, saying it has committed or poses a high risk of committing terrorist acts that threaten U.S. security.
The affidavit said Baxam bought a plane ticket to Kenya and planned to travel to Somalia with $600 to $700 he planned to give to al-Shabaab. Kenyan police stopped a bus on which Baxam was a passenger near Mombasa, Kenya, and arrested him for attempting to travel to Somalia to join al-Shabaab. Baxam was held at the Kenyan Anti-Terrorism Police Unit in Nairobi, and interviewed by the FBI and returned to the United States.
