A federal grand jury on Thursday returned an indictment against a Topeka man who was charged in a criminal complaint last week with plotting to explode a bomb at the Fort Riley military base, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
John T. Booker, Jr. (20) of Topeka, was indicted on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is a foreign terrorist organization.
If convicted, Booker would face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, including members from the FBI’s Kansas City Division, the Topeka Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith, and Trial Attorneys Josh Parecki and Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
