A federal grand jury on Aug 23 charged Herman Leyvoune Wilson, 45, of Albuquerque, with trying to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation by setting up an “Islamic State Centre” in New Mexico, according to a DOJ statement.

The centre aimed to teach Islamic State ideology, provide training in “tactical maneuvers and martial arts,” and serve as a safe haven for individuals preparing to travel and fight on behalf of the group in the US and abroad, the statement said.

Wilson, also known as Bilal Mu’Min Abdullah, helped run an online platform that promoted Islamic State recruitment and discussed attacks in the US and overseas, the statement said.

Devon Fooks, a federal public defender representing Wilson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two men sentenced in July for providing support to Islamic State said Wilson brought them into the group, prosecutors said.

Kristopher Matthews, 36, of South Carolina and Jaylyn Molina, 24, of Texas said Wilson radicalised them to “ISIS ideology,” the statement said.

Separately, Awais Chudhary, 22, of New York yesterday pleaded guilty to planning a knife attack in the Queens borough on behalf of Islamic State, the DOJ said in a statement.

Sam Jacobson, a federal defender representing Chudhary, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.