Friday, November 11, 2011

Alleged Terrorist Charged with Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda

BROOKLYN, NY—A federal grand jury in Brooklyn has returned an indictment charging Abdeladim El-Kebir, 30, also known as “Abi al-Barra,” with conspiring to provide material support, including personnel, training, lethal substances and explosives, to al Qaeda.

El-Kebir is also charged with conspiring to possess weapons, including a destructive device, in connection with his agreement to provide material support to al Qaeda. He was arrested by German law enforcement on April 29, 2011, and is currently in custody in Germany.

The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI. The government’s investigation is being conducted by the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zainab Ahmad and Carter H. Burwell, with assistance provided by Bridget Behling of the Counterterrorism Section in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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