Babafemi, 33 appears in U.S. court for allegedly providing support to al Qaeda
A Nigerian, Lawal Babafemi, was on Friday arraigned in a United States Federal Court, Brooklyn, on charges
of providing material support to al Qaeda and criminal use of firearms.
Babafemi, 33, also known as ``Ayatollah Mustapha’’, was
arraigned on a four-count charge of indictment, conspiracy, providing material
support to AQAP, and use of firearms.
He allegedly provided the support to the group in the
Arabian Peninsula, the terrorist organisation’s Yemen-based affiliate.
A local media stated that between January 2010 and August
2011, Babafemi travelled twice from Nigeria to Yemen to train with leaders of
al Qaeda, known as AQAP.
According to the media, a statement by U.S. prosecutors said
that he helped AQAP's media operations, including the publication of its
magazine, called ``Inspire’’.
It said that the group's leadership, including Anwar
al-Awlaki, paid Babafemi almost $9,000 to recruit English-speaking people from
Nigeria.
According to prosecutors, Awlaki, a U.S. citizen born in New
Mexico, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
Babafemi faces life in prison if convicted on firearms
charges and up to 15 years in prison on the material support charges.
The media also quoted a U.S. District Judge, John Gleeson,
as having ordered that Babafemi to be held without bail.
It noted that in August, a Nigerian Court granted a U.S.
request for Babafemi's extradition.
In another statement, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York, Loretta Lynch, said Babafemi supported al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula's media, recruitment, and weapons training campaigns.
Lynch said the support was part of effort to strengthen the
terrorist group's grip on the region and extend its reach throughout the world.
``We will use every tool at our disposal to combat al Qaeda
and other terrorist groups in a manner consistent with our laws," Lynch
said.
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