| September 18, 2019 03: 33 PM
An American Airlines mechanic accused of sabotaging an airplane in Miami this July reportedly had Islamic State-sponsored video content on his personal phone.
Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani was accusedearlier this monthof inserting an object into the navigational system of the airplane that would tamper with airspeed readings. The plane detected the mechanical error shortly before taking off from Miami to the Bahamas and was promptly taken out of service, forcing 150 passengers to deplane and seek out other methods of travel.
Alani, who was reported seen on video tampering with the airplane, alleged that he was motivated to do so because he was dissatisfied with employment contracts and hoped the mechanical issue could translate to more overtime pay for himself.
Prosecutors in federal court on Wednesday, however, allege that Alani had downloaded an ISIS propaganda video to his cellphone, which he sent to other unnamed individuals. Prosecutors also alleged during the Wednesday bond hearing that Alani confided to coworkers that his brother was involved in ISIS.
The U.S. attorney further stated that Alani had traveled to Iraq earlier this year, a fact which he had confided to his roommate, because his brother had been kidnapped. He also reportedly transferred $ 700 to an unidentified recipient in Iraq this past July. Alani’s phone is said to contain a news article about Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018, killing all 189 on board.
The article about the crash contained specific data about the flight’s airspeed control system, which was the target of Alani’s tampering.
Alani was denied bond but is currently only facing charges related to damaging the American Airlines jet. He is charged with “willfully damaging, destroying, disabling, or wrecking an aircraft” but is not currently facing prosecution for terror-related crimes.
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