Abdeladim El-Kebir was charged with conspiring to provide material support, including personnel, training, lethal substances and explosives, to al-Qaeda.
A federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned an indictment against El-Kebir, who was arrested by German law enforcement officials on April 29, 2011, and is currently in custody there.
He was living in Germany illegally after having lived in the country on a student visa.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Moroccan native El-Kebir and two other men arrested in Germany were making a bomb on al-Qaeda's order that could be used in a crowded place.
According to authorities, El Kebir received training in an al-Qaeda camp near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after which he returned to Germany to carry out the attack.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks