A U.S.-born Islamic radical once believed to be a top al Qaeda lieutenant will face additional charges of terrorism in U.S. federal court, the Justice Department stated on Wednesday.
Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, also known as Abdullah al-Shami, was charged with conspiring to deploy a weapon of mass destruction and bomb a government facility for his alleged role in a 2009 attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
Farekh was born in the U.S. but his family moved to Jordan when he was young. In 2007, he left his studies in Canada to head to Pakistan to wage jihad against American forces in Afghanistan, an earlier indictment against him alleges.
Farekh, 30, allegedly helped arm a vehicle with explosive devices intended for detonation on the U.S. base. He was captured in Pakistan in April.
He will be arraigned on the new charges Thursday in a New York federal court and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
“Farekh, a citizen of the United States, allegedly turned his back on our country and tried to kill U.S. soldiers in the course of executing their sworn duty to keep us safe,” said Robert Capers, U.S. attorney of the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s charges demonstrate that the patriotism and service of the members of our armed forces will never be forgotten and that we will make every effort to prosecute those who would harm our country and our armed forces to the full extent of the law.”
The Pentagon reportedly wanted to add Farekh to its “kill list” in 2013, but his status as an American citizen complicated the process.
