Federal authorities arrested a 20-year-old Kansas man who was allegedly plotting to detonate a suicide bomb at the Fort Riley Army base in Kansas.

Officials say that John T. Booker Jr. of Topeka planned to carry out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group. However, he was arrested Friday in a federal sting operation.

Booker, who goes by the alias Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, tried to enlist in the Army last year, but was rejected after he posted on Facebook that he wanted to wage jihad.

A complaint filed in Federal District Court in Topeka Back states that back in December, he told a confidential informant that he intended to strike the military installation. He then took steps to plan the attack by buying bomb materials, renting a storage locker and recording a video where he announced that he was acting in the name of the Islamic State.

"Over a period of months, he began doing and taking actions that were more than just mere talking," said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, adding that Mr. Booker's arrest "reminds us that we in law enforcement have to remain vigilant," reports The New York Times.

The complaint also alleges that Booker told another person "that detonating a suicide bomb is his number one aspiration because he couldn't be captured, all evidence would be destroyed, and he would be guaranteed to hit his target," reports USA Today. He specifically chose Fort Riley as a target, "because the post is famous and there are a lot of soldiers stationed there," the complaint says.

The authorities also alleged that Booker had recorded a "martyr video" explaining his actions.

According to the complaint, Booker was charged with trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, trying to damage property with an explosive device and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Booker was scheduled to appear in a federal court in Topeka on Friday.