A Maryland man has been held accountable for his allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization.
Maalik Alim Jones, 32, a U.S. citizen who resided in Maryland until 2011, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Somalia, conspiring to receive military training from al Shabaab, and carrying and using an AK-47 machine gun, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons in furtherance of his support for al Shabaab.
According to the Complaint, the Indictment, the Superseding Information, and statements made in court proceedings, including today’s guilty plea:
In 2011, Jones traveled via commercial aircraft from New York to Kenya, with stopovers in Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. After arriving in Kenya, Jones traveled by land from Kenya to Somalia where he trained, worked and fought with al Shabaab in Somalia.
Among other things, Jones received military training at an al Shabaab training camp, where he learned to operate an AK-47 assault rifle and rocket-propelled grenades. Jones also became a member of al Shabaab’s specialized fighting force, Jaysh Ayman, and participated in combat against soldiers of the Kenyan government on behalf of al Shabaab.
The material support count carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The military training count carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. The machine gun count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Jones, who has been detained since his arrest in December 2015, will be sentenced by Judge Paul G. Gardephe on January 25, 2018.
Mr. Boente and Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force – which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department. He also thanked the U.S. Department of State, for their assistance.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
