“Nelash Mohamed Das is alleged to have plotted to kill a U.S. service member on behalf of ISIL,” US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said in the release on Monday.
According to the release, between late September 2015 and early 2016, Das used social media to express support for Daesh, including its attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.
Prosecutors allege that in October 2015, Das posted to his Twitter account the name of an individual and the city where the person lived, knowing that the individual planned to enlist in the US military, according to the release.
Das later attended classes to qualify for a handgun license, practiced firing weapons at a range, and submitted fingerprints to obtain for a gun permit, the release stated.
Das was arrested after a police informant helped him buy weapons in the nearby state of Virginia. He was detained after an initial federal court hearing on Monday and faces a sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted, the release noted.
