New Charges in Fort Hood Bomb Plot

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo indicted on trying to use weapon of mass destruction, five additional charges

An AWOL soldier accused of plotting to bomb Fort Hood troops was indicted Tuesday on six more charges, including trying to use of a weapon of mass destruction.

The charges are part of a six-count superseding federal indictment returned by a grand jury in Waco against Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo. He faces up to life in federal prison if convicted on the weapon charge.

The other charges are attempted murder of officers or employees of the United States, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, and two counts of possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a federal crime of violence.

He was indicted in August on three federal charges related to trying to bomb soldiers in restaurants near the Texas Army post this summer. The maximum penalty for each of those charges -- possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice -- is 10 years in prison. He had not yet entered a plea on those charges.

Prosecutors said they plan to try him first on the six new charges, which carry lengthier prison terms.

Abdo, who remains in federal custody in Waco, was arrested in July at a Killeen motel near Fort Hood. Investigators say they found a handgun, an article titled "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom" and the ingredients for an explosive device, including gunpowder, shrapnel and pressure cookers. An article with that title appears in an al-Qaida magazine.

After his arrest, he told authorities he planned to make two bombs and detonate them in a restaurant where Fort Hood soldiers eat, according to documents filed in the case.

Abdo, 21, was approved as a conscientious objector this year after citing his Muslim beliefs, but that status was put on hold after he was charged with possessing child pornography. He went absent without leave from Fort Campbell, Ky., in early July.

There's a gag order in the Texas case.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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