JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A 19-year-old accused of traveling to the Middle East to train with terrorists will make his first appearance in a federal court in Jacksonville.
Shelton Bell is scheduled for a first appearance in U.S. District court Thursday afternoon.
A federal grand jury indicted Bell on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He is being held at the county jail in Jacksonville on unrelated state charges.
According to the indictment, Bell had planned to travel to the Arabian Peninsula and join Ansar Al-Sharia. That's an alias for al-Qaida there.
Investigators reported that Bell and others engaged in physical, firearm and other training to prepare for armed conflict in the Middle East.