It was an act of jihad…
Miami: Muslim migrant who sabotaged plane says he acted “out of my evil side,” wished Allah would hurt non-Muslims
“Prosecutors say a mechanic who allegedly sabotaged a 150-person American Airlines jet may have ties to ISIS,” by Curt Anderson, Associated Press, September 18, 2019:
A federal judge cited new evidence of potential terrorism sympathies Wednesday in denying bail for a longtime mechanic charged with sabotaging an American Airlines jetliner that prosecutors say could have caused it to crash with 150 people aboard.
US Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley imposed pretrial detention for Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani at the hearing in Miami federal court.
The new evidence presented by prosecutors includes that Alani has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with the Islamic State extremist group as well as statements Alani made about wishing Allah would use “divine powers” to harm on [sic] non-Muslims.
Alani, 60, also recently sent a $700 wire transfer to someone in Iraq — where he has extended family — and had videos on his cellphone depicting Islamic State mass murders he shared with others, prosecutors said. In addition, the new evidence shows Alani traveled to Iraq in March but did not disclose that to authorities after his arrest.
“You may be very sympathetic to terrorists,” Judge McAliley told Alani at the hearing. “That’s very disconcerting.”
Alani is a naturalized US citizen from Iraq who has worked as an airline mechanic for 30 years, with no prior criminal record. He’s not charged with a terror-related crime, but Assistant US Attorney Maria Medetis said the potential links to the Islamic State give rise to the possibility his actions had a darker purpose.
Alani told agents after his arrest earlier this month that, “Out of my evil side, I wanted to do something,” Medetis said, adding that the statement was recorded by the FBI….
