Virginia Man Indicted For Allegedly Supporting Al-Shabaab - US Justice Department

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2020) A resident of the US state of Virginia was indicted for allegedly trying to join the al-Shabaab terrorist group, the Justice Department said in a statement.

"A [US] Federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging an Alexandria [Virginia] man with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization operating in Somalia," the release said on Tuesday. "Liban Haji Mohamed, 34, a Somali-born naturalized United States citizen, allegedly left the United States in July 2012 with the intent to join al-Shabaab in East Africa."

Mohamed, the release added, was a close associate of convicted terrorist Zachary Chesser, who was sentenced to 25 years on similar charges. The US government is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to Mohamed's arrest and conviction, the Justice Department said.

According to The Washington Post, the former cab driver was detained in 2015 by the government of Somalia - a country with which the United States does not have an extradition treaty. US officials did not comment on whether Mohamed was still in Somali custody, the report said.