Abdulhakim Muhammad, the man accused of shooting and killing an American solider outside of a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas, has decided to plead guilty. And now, for the first time, he claims to have ties to an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.

“I wasn’t insane or post traumatic nor was I forced to do this Act,” Mr. Muhammad said in a two-page, hand-printed note in pencil. The attack, which he said did not go as planned, was “justified according to Islamic Laws and the Islamic Religion. Jihad — to fight those who wage war on Islam and Muslims.”

I do believe Muhammad, a Muslim convert, was committing jihad when he killed Pvt. William A. Long and wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula. In fact, Muhammad’s father says he believes his son was radicalized in Yemen. But he doubts his son has connections to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

His doubt may be justified. It seems odd that Muhammad would suddenly claim to be affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — the same terrorist organization with which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber, is associated. And while the affiliation isn’t impossible, especially if he really did become radicalized in Yemen, the timing is suspect.

One of the first things Abdulmutallab did was tell authorities of his connection to Al Qaeda. He clearly had no intention of hiding that affiliation. Yet it’s taken months — the shooting happened in June 2009 — for Muhammad to claim any connection to the same terror affiliate.

On the other hand, we know Muhammed spent about 16 months in Yemen. In fact, he married a girl from the southern part of the country. He then spent several months in a Yemeni jail for overstaying his visa and holding a fraudulent Somalian passport. Somalia is also known for its connections to Al Qaeda. This isn’t a guy who avoided connections to the terror group and its affiliates at all costs.

He also seems to know a thing or two about the Yemeni affiliate. Muhammad claims to be part of “Abu Basir’s Army” — likely a reference to Naser Abdel-Karim al-Wahishi, head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Wahishi also goes by the alias Abu Basir. Like Muhammed, al-Wahishi spent some time in a Yemeni prison. That is until he and 23 fellow terrorists “escaped” from a maximum security prison in February 2006. Muhammed arrived in Yemen in 2007.

Muhammed’s defense attorney says he wasn’t consulted before his client wrote the letter. The FBI, meanwhile, is refusing to comment.