The federal law enforcement officials in the United States have announced the arrest of Anas Said, who was linked to a terrorist attack on Nigerian soldiers at the Borno checkpoint last year.

Federal Bureau of Information last Thursday said Mr Said was arrested when he attempted to carry out a possible terrorist attack in Houston., Texas.

An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Texas also indicated that Mr Said, 28, was charged last month with attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group ISIS.

Mr Said had been posting pro-ISIS messages on various social media platforms since 2017, according to court papers.

In July last year, Mr Said posted videos of an attack against Nigerian soldiers manning a checkpoint in Borno to Islamic State-affiliated websites. It was unclear how many Nigerian soldiers were killed during the attack.

Apart from the charges for his offence against the Nigerian state, he was also involved in terrorism in Damascus and Homs in Syria.

Mr Said now risks up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if found guilty as charged.

The Nigerian Army’s spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, did not respond to Peoples Gazette’s request seeking comments on Mr Said’s arrest.