Sentencing set for Ohio man accused of plotting attacks on service members

By

The Associated Press

FILE – In this Feb. 25, 2015 file photo, Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, left, speaks with his defense attorney, Sam Shamansky, during a hearing to set bond on charges of money laundering and providing support for terrorism in Columbus, Ohio. A Thursday, April 16 indictment says Mohamud left the country a year ago to train and fight with terrorists in Syria. The indictment says Mohamud, who was arrested in Columbus earlier this year, weighed which extremist group in Syria was more effective before his travels. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A sentencing date has been set for an Ohio man who admitted he plotted to kill military members in the U.S.

Columbus resident Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud (ab-dee-RAH’-mahn shayk moh-HAH’-mud) is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19.

Mohamud pleaded guilty in August 2015 to supporting terrorism and making false statements to authorities.

Federal prosecutors say he received training in 2014 on weapons, combat and tactics in Syria, and then returned to the U.S. with a plan to kill military officers or others in uniform. They say he also researched places to carry out attacks.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 23 years.

Mohamud’s attorney is asking for leniency, saying he abandoned his attack plans.