Federal prosecutors on Friday charged a US soldier accused of planning to attack troops near a Texas military base with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Naser Abdo, 21, was arrested in Killeen, Texas, after authorities said they discovered bombmaking materials in his backpack and in a motel room, as well as a copy of an article from the Al Qaeda magazine Inspire, which is produced by the terrorist group's Yemen affiliate.
He was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device in connection with a bomb plot and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, according to federal prosecutors. Abdo made a brief initial appearance in US District Court in Waco, The Washington Post reported.
Charging documents say Abdo also had ammunition, gunpowder, clocks, wires and an article titled, "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom."
The complaint alleges the 21-year-old Abdo intended to build two bombs and set them off at a restaurant popular with soldiers stationed at Fort Hood.
On his way out of the courtroom, Abdo yelled the name of Major Nidal Hasan and then shouted "Fort Hood 2009."
Abdo had told investigators after his arrest on Thursday that he was acting in support of Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who has been charged in the killing of 13 people at the base in 2009, according to congressional and federal officials.
The officials said Abdo was planning to set off bombs at locations outside the base where soldiers gather and to follow the explosions with gunfire.
"I would classify this as a terror plot," Police Chief Dennis Baldwin told reporters in Killeen.
The emergence of another alleged plot to attack troops at the same base where Hasan is accused of striking may intensify fears that there is a growing terrorist threat from self-radicalised Americans and raise questions about whether the military can adequately identify internal threats. Hasan was arraigned in military court this month on capital murder charges but has not entered a plea, the newspaper said.
