A former member of the Virginia National Guard admitted in court Thursday that he sought to provide weapons to the Islamic State for an attack on U.S. soil.
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 26, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria to attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group.
Authorities said Jalloh met with an Islamic State member in Nigeria in 2015 and planned to join the organization’s forces in Libya before changing his mind. He later made online contact with another member of the Islamic State who lived overseas and was actively plotting an attack in the United States.
Back in the United States, Jalloh discussed taking part in a domestic attack, according to court papers. He said he was thinking about carrying out a shooting similar to one in 2009 by Nidal Hasan, then an Army major, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas.
But Jalloh also questioned whether he could “ensure his heart would be strong and not fail him” in such an attack, according to court documents. He talked about providing money or cash if he could not go through with it. He did not know that a person he was plotting with was an FBI source.
“I really want to, but I don’t want to give my word and not fulfill it,” Jalloh told the source at one point. Another time, he said. “I just want to live a good Muslim life and die as a shaheed,” or martyr.
Jalloh, who was living in Loudoun County, was arrested July 3, days after he attempted to buy an assault rifle at a Virginia gun shop. Authorities did not say whether a specific target for an attack was identified.
Jalloh’s attorney, Joseph Flood, declined to comment Thursday. He said during plea hearing that although Jalloh admitted to the charges, he planned to “provide more context” later. Jalloh’s family members also declined to comment.
Jalloh, a native of Sierra Leone, is a U.S. citizen. He served as a specialist in the Virginia National Guard from April 2009 to April 2015. A Virginia National Guard spokesman has said there are no records showing that Jalloh deployed overseas.
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(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Jasper Scherer
