NEW YORK (AP) — A Maryland man who authorities said traveled to Somalia and became a fighter for an al-Qaida-linked extremist group has been sentenced in New York to 35 years in prison.
Maalik Alim Jones, 33, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to federal terrorism charges.
Prosecutors said Jones trained with and supported al-Shabab, an ultra-conservative Islamic militant group. The group seeks to run Somalia under a strict interpretation of Shariah law.
The Baltimore man was turned over to the U.S. by Somali authorities who arrested him in 2015 as he allegedly tried to get on a boat to travel to Yemen.
Authorities said Jones confessed to fighting Kenyan government soldiers in a battle until he was injured by a missile. They said he admitted to getting paid $100 monthly by al-Shabab.
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