U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty to Training With al Qaeda
A U.S. citizen, whotrained to fight jihad along with elements of al Qaeda to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, has been convicted of receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization, Kenneth Wainstein announced.
At a hearing, Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a.k.a. Daniel Aljughaifi, 28, pleaded guilty to the sole charge in an Information filed on March 30, 2007 and unsealed Thursday. During the hearing, Maldonado admitted he had traveled from Houston to Africa in November 2005 and then on to Somalia in December 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and elements of al Qaeda to fight "jihad" against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an independent Islamic State in Somalia, according to the US Justice Department.
While in Somalia, Maldonado was provided an AK-47, equipped with military combat uniforms and boots in Mogadishu, and participated intraining camps in Kismaayo and Jilib, Somalia. The camps included physical fitness, firearms and explosives training all in preparation to go to the front to fight for the ICU. Al Qaeda members were present at the training camps. ICU and al Qaeda, a recognized foreign terrorist organization,worked together to train fighters in the camps to fight jihad to establish an independent Islamic state in Somalia, the Justice Department says.
"Today's guilty plea is the first involving an American who joined forces with Islamic extremist fighters in Somalia and should serve noticeto others who would travel overseas to wage violent jihad," says Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security.
"For an American to travel overseas to train as a violent jihadist alongside al Qaeda elements who are focused upon threatening the security of our nation, is decidedly disturbing and definitely illegal," says U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle. "Maldonado's conviction should serve as a strong warning to any American who considers joining forces with terrorist groups here or abroad."
Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.
At a hearing, Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a.k.a. Daniel Aljughaifi, 28, pleaded guilty to the sole charge in an Information filed on March 30, 2007 and unsealed Thursday. During the hearing, Maldonado admitted he had traveled from Houston to Africa in November 2005 and then on to Somalia in December 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and elements of al Qaeda to fight "jihad" against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an independent Islamic State in Somalia, according to the US Justice Department.
While in Somalia, Maldonado was provided an AK-47, equipped with military combat uniforms and boots in Mogadishu, and participated intraining camps in Kismaayo and Jilib, Somalia. The camps included physical fitness, firearms and explosives training all in preparation to go to the front to fight for the ICU. Al Qaeda members were present at the training camps. ICU and al Qaeda, a recognized foreign terrorist organization,worked together to train fighters in the camps to fight jihad to establish an independent Islamic state in Somalia, the Justice Department says.
"Today's guilty plea is the first involving an American who joined forces with Islamic extremist fighters in Somalia and should serve noticeto others who would travel overseas to wage violent jihad," says Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security.
"For an American to travel overseas to train as a violent jihadist alongside al Qaeda elements who are focused upon threatening the security of our nation, is decidedly disturbing and definitely illegal," says U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle. "Maldonado's conviction should serve as a strong warning to any American who considers joining forces with terrorist groups here or abroad."
Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.
Labels: al Qaeda, Aljughaifi, homeland security, Islamic, jihad, Somalia, terrorism, terrorist
posted by Scott Nance at
4/24/2007 12:18:00 PM
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