American "Homegrown" Terrorist Suspect Confirms Al Qaeda Presence in Somalia

By Andrew Cochran

"An American citizen charged with receiving terrorist training at an Al Qaeda camp in Somalia — including classes in how to become a homicide bomber and 'wage violent jihad' — was taken into custody by FBI agents and returned to the U.S. Monday night night..." Daniel Joseph Maldanado, 28, a.k.a Daniel Aljughaifi, was charged with receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use an explosive device outside the United States. The criminal complaint provides the following information about Maldanado:

He is a Muslim convert who moved in August 2005 fiom Boston to Houston, and then traveled to Egypt in November 2005. A year later, after the UIC took over Somalia, he moved there "in search of a country where he could practice true Islam" and "believed that he was fighting for a legitimate Islamic government." He told the FBI he had "no problem" killing or fighting Americans, because he was angry with America, and had "no problem" with the September 11 attacks. He admitted "participating in military training" and received "weapons, explosives, and physical fitness training" and, at one point, assisted in interrogating a "spy." He also learned how to manufacture and use IEDs.

Most importantly, Maldanado confirmed an Al Qaeda presence in Somalia: "...while residing with the young mujahadin in Mogadishu, he became aware that al Qaeda members were residing and training in the same compound. A Yemeni who personally knew bin Laden, and MALDONADO, participated in nightly gatherings during which stories of bin Laden were told by the Yemeni. MALDONADO identified certain members at the camp as being al Qaeda, although he did not know for sure who all of the a1 Qaeda members were. MALDONADO opined that a1 Qaeda fighters were given much more respect than members of the ICU." The FBI reports that a cooperating witness who corroborated much of Maldanado's story "heard an individual at one of the compounds who said he had worked for 'Sheikh Usama' in Sudan." Late in January 2007, after Ethiopian troops liberated Mogadishu, Maldanado was captured by Kenyan soldiers after fleeing Somalia.

The actual presence on Al Qaeda there was doubted by some commentators (see here and here).

Previous CT Blog posts on Al Qaeda's presence and influence in Somalia:

Douglas Farah:
The Wrong Questions on Somalia
Blind Spots on Somalia

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross:
Somalia's Terrorists

This arrest also raises new questions about the number of American "homegrowns" and their conversion. More on that later.

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