33-Year Old Nigerian Man Charged To CourtIn US For Supporting Al Qaeda

A Nigerian, Lawal Babafemi, 33, was on Friday arraigned
in a U.S. Federal Court, on charges of providing material
support to al Qaeda and criminal use of firearms.
Babafemi, who is 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.
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.
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.