Pelham News : terrorism

Former Pelham resident, trained by terrorists, sent to prison

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:24:00 GMT

A former Pelham High School student who was convicted of receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a U.S. citizen and Muslim convert, was given the maximum penalty for the crime in a federal courthouse in Houston on July 20.

Three months ago, Maldonado, 28, pleaded guilty, admitting that he traveled to Somalia in late 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union and elements of al-Qaida.

He did so, according to prosecutors, to fight “jihad” against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an Islamic state in Somalia.

Maldonado was equipped with an AK-47 and military combat boots, and participated in training camps which included firearms and explosives training where al-Qaida members were present, according to prosecutors.

“By attending a terrorist training camp, Daniel Maldonado betrayed his country and endangered the national security of the United States and its allies with his support of the ICU and al-Qaida,” said Joseph Billy Jr., assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Counterterrorism Division, in a statement.

Maldonado was captured by Kenyan military forces in early 2007 as he fled to avoid Ethiopian and Somalian forces and was turned over to U.S. custody.

Maldonado, also known as Daniel Aljughaifi, will be on supervised release for three years after he’s released from prison. He was fined $1,000.

“We cannot tolerate our own citizens joining the ranks of our enemies and foreign terrorists,” said Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, in a statement. “Any American who does so can expect swift prosecution and a severe sentence.”

At Pelham High, Maldonado was known for his appearance – he wore his hair in dreadlocks – and for strong opinions, Dorothy Mohr, the school’s principal, said earlier this year after he was arrested.

Guilty of training with al Qaeda – Former Pelham man faces up to 10 years in prison

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:27:00 GMT

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.

Al-Qaida suspect has Pelham ties – Former Pelham High student charged with conspiring with terrorists

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:21:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

It’s been more than a decade since Dorothy Mohr taught Danny Maldonado in a freshman English class, but she recognized him on TV while watching the news.

Maldonado, 28, who is charged with receiving military training from the al-Qaida terrorist organization, used to reside in Pelham with his family and attended the town’s high school.

“He was just a unique individual, both for his manner of dress and his opinionated outlook,” said Mohr, who knew Maldonado in the mid-1990s.

He was the only student then, she recalled, who wore his hair in dreadlocks. He was also into pop culture and wore a big jacket.

Mohr, who is now the school’s principal, remembers that Maldonado voiced strong opinions, but she doesn’t remember any specifics about what he talked about.

“He had his own agenda. He certainly wasn’t the valedictorian of the class,” said Mohr.

Mohr doesn’t recall any major discipline problems with Maldonado who, she said, withdrew from the school in 1997.

Daniel Joseph Maldonado has been charged with conspiring to use a bomb outside of the United States and receiving military-type training from al-Qaida.

According to an affidavit filed in a federal court in Texas by a FBI special agent, Maldonado was allegedly trained by terrorists while living overseas.

The affidavit contains information that the agent said was provided by Maldonado when he was interviewed by the FBI and from a cooperating witness who knew of his activities.

The affidavit claims that Maldonado, a Muslim convert, moved from Boston to Houston, Texas, in August 2005, and later traveled to Cairo in 2005 and to Somalia the following year in search of a country where he could practice true Islam.

Maldonado reportedly told the FBI that while living in Egypt, he decided to go to Somalia to fight for Islam.

He had chosen to fight, he reportedly said, because he believed he was fighting for a legitimate Islamic government.

“Maldonado also stated that he had ‘no problem’ killing or fighting Americans because he was angry with America. He added that he had ‘no problem’ with the September 11, 2001 attacks,” the affidavit states.

In Somalia, Maldonado had been given an AK-47 assault rifle and a belt that is worn over the chest and holds clips for the gun, according to the FBI.

“Maldonado admitted participating in military training in Mogadishu,” the affidavit states. “He described a program that included weapons, explosives and physical fitness training. He was told that after he completed major physical training, and firearms training, he would be able to go to the ‘front line’ to fight, a desire which he had previously expressed.”

Along with other fighters, he was transported to Kismaayo, which is located in the southern part of Somalia and is considered a stronghold for al-Qaida operating in the country.

Maldonado reportedly told the FBI that while in Kismaayo he helped guard and interrogate a suspected spy because they both spoke English. He said he learned later the man had been killed.

In Kismaayo, Maldonado participated in physical training but did not go to the front line because he contracted malaria.

While in training camps, he reportedly was taught by a bomb maker who manufactured small explosive devices.

Maldonado admitted he would be willing to become a suicide bomber if he were wounded and could not fight, according to the affidavit.

When Ethiopian forces attacked, Maldonado and other fighters fled to Kenya. They took a boat and later walked in the woods for two to three days before being captured by Kenyan authorities.

Like Mohr, Pelham police Capt. Joseph Roark said that Maldonado was memorable for wearing his hair in dreadlocks.

The Maldonado family lived on Dutton Road, and their address was familiar to patrol officers, Roark said.

Officers visited the house in response to minor family disputes and routine calls for service, he said.

Maldonado was also stopped for motor vehicle offenses, Roark recalled.

“He was somewhat detached but respectful to police,” Roark said. “Not friendly, but cooperative."