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Former National Guard Soldier Charged With Plotting to Assist ISIS

Islamic State group's flag
Islamic State group's flag is seen in an area after Kurdish troops known as peshmerga regained control of some villages west of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq / AP
July 5, 2016

A former National Guard soldier has been charged with plotting to help the Islamic State terrorist group and considering a Fort Hood-style attack against the U.S. military.

Mohamed Jalloh, 26, of Sterling, Virginia, is a former member of the Army National Guard and is expected to first appear in federal court in Alexandria on Tuesday afternoon.

Jalloh said he quit after hearing lectures from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, according to court records made public Tuesday.

A court affidavit details a three-month sting operation, beginning in March, in which Jalloh said he was contemplating carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood in Texas, during which 13 people were killed.

Jalloh, identified in the affidavit as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, was arrested last week after trying to buy guns at Blue Ridge Arsenal, a Chantilly-based gun range and store.

Jalloh’s sister, Fatmatu Jalloh, said in a brief telephone interview that she is serving as one of her brothers attorneys. She also said she has seen the charge against her brother but denied that he helped ISIS.

Jalloh allegedly tried to give a $500 donation to ISIS, but the money he sent was directed to an account controlled by the FBI, according to the affidavit.

This case is the most recent of several in which men from the northern Virginia area have been charged with attempting to support ISIS.

The Department of Justice released a statement Tuesday on Jalloh‘s arrest.