BY DARRELL HALEN

A former Pelham resident pleaded guilty in federal court to being trained by a foreign terrorist organization.

Daniel Joseph Maldonado, 28, who formerly lived in Pelham and dropped out of the town’s high school in 1997, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Houston on Thursday, April 19.

Maldonado, a Muslim convert, admitted to traveling to Africa to join the Islamic Court Union and elements of al Qaeda to fight “jihad” against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an independent Islamic State in Somalia, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston.

Maldonado was provided an AK-47, military combat uniforms and boots, and participated in training camps where members of al Qaeda were present in Somalia, according to prosecutors.

He was captured by the Kenyan military in January as he fled Ethiopian and Somalian forces.

“For an American to travel overseas to train as a violent jihadist alongside al Qaeda elements who are focused upon threatening the security of our nation is decidedly disturbing and definitely illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle. “Maldonado’s conviction should serve as a strong warning to any American who considers joining forces with terrorist groups here or abroad.”

Maldonado is scheduled to be sentenced in late June. He faces up to a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation into his activities involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. State Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Houston police.

At Pelham High School, Maldonado was known for his strong opinions and his appearance, Dorothy Mohr, the school’s principal said in February when Maldonado’s arrest made the news.

Maldonado’s wife died of malaria and he has three children, according to published reports.