U.S. officials on Friday arrested a 25-year-old man from suburban New York and charged him in a five-count indictment with attempting to travel to Yemen to join al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Court papers unsealed on Friday charged the man, Marcos Alonso Zea, with trying twice to travel to Yemen to join the group, which the United States regards as one of the most active wings of the militant network.
The United States also charged Zea with trying to give money to al Qaeda affiliates and with destroying his computers when he learned that he was under investigation.
He faces five criminal counts: conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, two counts of trying to provide support to terrorists or terrorist organizations and two counts of obstruction.
Zea was arrested at his home in Brentwood, New York, located 50 miles east of Manhattan, federal prosecutors said.
(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)