Gary Craig and Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A 30-year-old Yemen-born man was indicted Tuesday on charges of attempting to provide support to the terrorist group Islamic State, along with the attempted murder of current and former members of the U.S. military.

Mufid A. Elfgeeh, who had been living in Rochester, was named in the seven-count federal indictment, which also included four firearms charges.

As part of an alleged plot to target soldiers returning from Iraq, the suspect earlier this year "purchased two handguns equipped with…silencers and ammunition'' for $1,050 from a government source, court documents stated.

According to court records, Elfgeeh in 2013 and early 2014 attempted to assist the travel of three people—two of whom were FBI informants—to Syria to fight for Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS or ISIL.

After the two FBI informants agreed to travel to Syria, Elfgeeh allegedly helped prepare them for the trip. He sent "$600 to an individual in Yemen for the purpose of assisting that individual in traveling from Yemen to Syria for the purpose of joining and fighting on behalf of ISIL,'' court documents said.

Elfgeeh's public defender, Mark Hosken, said, "I will be entering a plea of not guilty to all counts on behalf of Mr. Elfgeeh."

Federal and local authorities arrested Elfgeeh in late May in a Walmart parking lot after a sting in which an FBI informant offered to sell him guns and silencers, which Elfgeeh allegedly wanted to use to kill returning American troops as well as Shia Muslims living in the region.

Two confidential informants worked with the FBI in the investigation of Elfgeeh, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

"We will remain aggressive in identifying and disrupting those who seek to provide support to ISIL and other terrorist groups that are bent on inflicting harm upon Americans," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "We are focused on breaking up these activities on the front end, before supporters of ISIL can make good on plans to travel to the region or recruit sympathizers to this cause."

U.S. officials have estimated that about 100 Americans have traveled to Syria to join the fighting there.

According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Albert Zenner, Elfgeeh tried to raise money for a Yemeni man to join the Islamic State.

Elfgeeh allegedly encouraged the informants to "travel overseas to engage in violent jihad" with the Islamic State.

In April, the affidavit alleges, Elfgeeh and one informant traveled to Buffalo to get a passport for the informant. Elfgeeh allegedly suggested that the Islamic State would likely use the informant "to operate a cannon, act as a sniper and/or build bombs," Zenner wrote.

Elfgeeh is scheduled to appear Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman for arraignment.

Elfgeeh faces seven criminal charges in the indictment: three counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, one count of attempting to kill "officers and employees of the United States," two counts or possession of an unregistered firearm silencer, and a count of possession of firearms and silencers in furtherance of a violent crime.

He faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on each material support charge, 20 years for attempted murder, and the firearms charges are punishable by a maximum of life in prison.

Authorities had been investigating Elfgeeh since 2013 after an informant raised concerns about Elfgeeh's alleged rabid anti-American views. In postings on Twitter, authorities allege, Elfgeeh proclaimed an allegiance to al-Qaeda.

One Tweet allegedly said: "al-Qaida (sic) said it loud and clear; we are fighting the American invasion and their hegemony over the earth and the people."

Elfgeeh managed a MoJoe's Famous Pizza and Chicken and rented a residence attached to the convenience store in Rochester.

In July, a fire seriously damaged the market and adjoining apartment. The fire is still under investigation.

The "material support" statutes were used in the prosecution of the so-called Lackawanna Six.

The Lackawanna Six were six Yemen-born men living in the Buffalo suburb who, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, were accused of attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.

The six pleaded guilty to providing "material support" to al-Qaeda. They have testified on behalf of federal prosecutors at terrorism-related trials since their 2003 guilty pleas.

Craig reports for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle; Johnson reported from Washington