Fort Hood Suspect Indicted By Federal Grand jury

June 14: Pfc. Naser Abdo is shown in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)

The Army private who was arrested in connection with an alleged plot to attack Fort Hood soldiers was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a fugitive from justice.

On July 27, police arrested Naser Jason Abdo, a soldier who was AWOL from Fort Campbell, Ky.

When police arrested Abdo, he was in possession of a handgun and had instructions on how to make bomb-making components, court papers say.

Court documents also allege that Abdo intended to use the materials to assemble two destructive devices with the intention of detonating them inside an unspecified restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood.

Abdo remains in federal custody. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine per count.

Abdo was arrested two weeks ago 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 Qaeda magazine.

The soldier 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., last month.

A day after his arrest, a defiant Abdo shouted "Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009!" as he was led out of a federal courtroom, an apparent homage to the suspect in the worst mass shooting ever on a U.S. military installation. He condemned that attack less than a year ago, but is now accused of trying to repeat it.

After Abdo was arrested at the motel, with some items found in his backpack, he told authorities he was planning "a massive attack in the Killeen and Fort Hood area," an FBI agent testified at a probable cause hearing last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this reported.