Update: A top federal prosecutor for Kansas has also charged another Topeka man, Alexander E. Blair, 28, with failing to report Booker's plans to authorities. The complaint alleges that Blair and Booker shared some "extremist views" and that Blair loaned Booker money to rent space to build and store a bomb.
Update: The soft-spoken Booker made his first court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Topeka, answering basic questions and correcting the spelling of his alias, Muhammad Abdullah Hassan. Booker was ordered to remain jailed. A grand jury is expected to consider the case next week.
Booker's public defender, Kirk Redmond, declined comment following the hearing. Blair's attorney, Christopher Joseph, said he met with his client only briefly Friday. Blair has a hearing Thursday on whether he should remain in federal custody.
Original Story:
A man was arrested in Kansas on Friday for allegedly attempting to detonate a car bomb at Fort Riley. KMUW's Aileen LeBlanc reports...
A 20-year-old man has been charged with planning a suicide bomb attack at the Fort Riley military base in Kansas in an alleged plot to support the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said Friday.
John T. Booker, of Topeka, was arrested Friday morning while trying to arm what he thought what a 1,000-pound bomb inside a van near the base, according to court documents. Prosecutors allege that Booker told an FBI informant that he wanted to kill Americans and engage in violent jihad on behalf of the terrorist group, believing the attack was justified because the Quran "says to kill your enemies wherever they are."
The FBI said there was no breach at Fort Riley, which is about 100 miles west of Kansas City.
Booker was scheduled to appear in federal court in Topeka later in the day. Court documents don't indicate whether he has an attorney, and he didn't have a publicly listed phone number.
Booker was recruited to join the Army in February 2014, but came to the attention of federal investigators after posting messages on Facebook. The FBI said a post on March 19, 2014, read: "Getting ready to be killed in jihad is a HUGE adrenaline rush! I am so nervous. NOT because I'm scared to die but I am eager to meet my lord."
Prosecutors allege Booker started meeting with the FBI informant in October. He allegedly told the informant he wanted to make a video threatening Americans and warning them to get their relatives and friends to quit the military. He said his intent was to "scare this country" and to tell the people that, "we will be coming after American soldiers in the streets ... we will be picking them off one by one," according to the court documents.
Booker is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to damage property by means of an explosive, and attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
The FBI has focused attention in the last year on individuals who profess allegiance to the Islamic State and who either make plans to fight alongside jihadists in Syria or commit acts of violence in the United States.
U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Booker was arrested near Manhattan, a city that borders the base.
"We face a continued threat from individuals within our own borders who may be motivated by a variety of reasons," Grissom said. "Anyone who tries to harm this nation and its people will be brought to justice."
