Former National Guard Member Arrested, Charged With Attempting To Support ISIS

The 26-year-old tried to buy weapons for ISIS and give the group money, the Justice Department says.
Iraqi government forces gather under a billboard bearing slogans of the Islamic State group in Iraq's Anbar province on April 7, 2016.
Iraqi government forces gather under a billboard bearing slogans of the Islamic State group in Iraq's Anbar province on April 7, 2016.
MOADH AL-DULAIMI/AFP/Getty Images

A former member of the Army National Guard has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support for the self-described Islamic State, or ISIS, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

In May, Justice Department officials say Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 26, of Sterling, Virginia, attempted to give $500 to a person he believed was a member of ISIS, but who was actually an undercover FBI agent.

In June, Jalloh reportedly traveled to North Carolina, where he allegedly attempted -- and failed -- to purchase firearms to carry out a terrorist attack similar to the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed.

On July 2, officials said, Jalloh purchased a Stag Arms assault-style rifle from a gun dealer in northern Virginia that had been rendered inoperable, per the FBI's instruction. Officers arrested him the following day, and the FBI seized the gun thereafter.

Jalloh joined the Virginia National Guard in 2009, serving as a combat engineer in the 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command before being honorably discharged in 2015, CBS affiliate WTVR reported.

According to an affidavit filed on Sunday, Jalloh is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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