Daniel Joseph Maldonado

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Daniel Joseph Maldonado (also Daniel Aljughaifi) is a U.S. citizen who, on February 15, 2007 in Houston, Texas, was charged with "training from a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use an explosive device outside the United States." He was 28 years old at the time of his arrest.^[1]

[edit] Early life

Maldonado grew up in Pelham, New Hampshire, lived in Houston from August 2005 to November 2005, before moving to Cairo, Egypt.^[2]

[edit] Charges

In the charges, it was alleged he took part in training at camps near Kismayo and Jilib in Somalia, where members of Al-Qaeda were present, though he was not accused of being a member of Al Qaeda directly. He had gone to Somalia in December 2006 to assist the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in their war against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, and its ally, Ethiopia; a war which the ICU declared as a jihad.^[3] He had been extradited by Kenyan authorities after he fled there. In the charges, Maldonado was said to be willing to become a suicide bomber if he became wounded.^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} "US Citizen Charged with Training to Fight Jihad in Somalia", 2007-02-15. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
2. ^ Lozano, Juan A. (2007-02-21). Texas judge holds terror suspect without bond. Associated Press.
3. ^ "Somali hardliner calls for foreign jihadists", The Observer, 2007-02-16. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.