Washington DC - A former US Army National Guard member has been arrested for allegedly planning to carry out a mass shooting at a military base in Michigan on behalf of the Islamic State, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said (19) of Melvindale, Michigan, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization – the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – and distributing information related to a destructive device.

Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement that Said "is charged with planning a deadly attack on a US military base here at home for IS."

Said allegedly recruited two conspirators to a plan to conduct a mass shooting at the US Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) facility in Warren, Michigan, according to the complaint.

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The pair were actually undercover law enforcement officers.

Said allegedly provided armor-piercing ammunition and magazines for the attack and flew a drone over TACOM to conduct reconnaissance.

He was arrested on Tuesday, the scheduled day of the attack, the Justice Department said.

Said faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge.