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Former US soldier held for trying to join terror outfit
Wednesday January 11, 2012 04:33:35 PM,
IANS
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Washington: A former
US Army soldier has been arrested and charged with attempting to
travel to Somalia to join terrorist group Al Shabaab.
Craig Benedict Baxam, 24, was arrested last week at the
Baltimore-Washington International Airport as he returned from a
failed effort to get to Somalia, CNN reported.
According to a criminal complaint filed in court, Baxam departed
the US Dec 20 en route to Kenya and tried to travel on to Somalia
from there. He was arrested by Kenyan authorities Dec 23 on
suspicion of terrorism.
Baxam was interviewed twice by FBI officials while he was in
Kenya. He told them he wanted to join Al Shabaab, live under
Sharia law and never intended to leave Somalia.
He said he was "looking for dying with a gun in my hand" and that
said he would be guaranteed a place in paradise, the report said.
Prosecutors said Baxam secretly converted to Islam just days
before leaving the army in July last year.
He joined the US Army in 2007 and underwent eight months of
advanced training for cryptology and intelligence.
After his training, Baxam was deployed to Baghdad and to South
Korea where he separated from the service a month before the
completion of his deployment.
Baxam reportedly told the FBI he did not have names of any
contacts to reach out to in Somalia but that he "trusted in
Allah".
"He was asked what he thought his role would be with Al Shabaab,
to which he stated that he would just be another body there,"
according to the court document.
Prosecutors said Baxam cashed out his retirement savings account
of $3,600 dollars and purchased a round-trip ticket to Kenya. He
allegedly planned to give Al Shabaab some amount between $600 and
$700 dollars as an offering upon his arrival, authorities said.
If convicted, Baxam faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in
prison.
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