U.S. federal prosecutors have charged two men with attempting to provide support for al-Qaida and two affiliated militant groups.
Gufran Ahmed Kauser Mohammed, 30, and Mohamed Hussein Said, 25, made their initial appearance in a federal court in Miami, Florida on Thursday.
The two men are accused of conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida, al-Qaida in Iraq and the Somali militant group al-Shabab.
Prosecutors say they conspired to raise money and recruits for the groups. They say Mohammed wired money to Said for the purpose of supporting al-Shabab, and to another person whom he believed was a fundraiser and recruiter for al-Qaida and al-Qaida in Iraq.
They say the men also agreed to support al-Qaida by moving experienced al-Shabab fighters to the conflict in Syria.
The U.S. Justice Department said Mohammed is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a resident of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It said Said is a Kenyan national and a resident of Nairobi and Mombasa.
It says if convicted, each defendant could face a maximum sentence of 15 years for each count of the indictment, or more than 200 years in prison.
