Al Qaeda: Nigerian Pleads Not Guilty in US Court

A Nigerian, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi Friday pleaded not guilty in a United States federal court in Brooklyn to helping an al Qaeda
affiliate recruit English-speaking people in Nigeria.
Between January 2010 and August 2011, Babafemi allegedly travelled twice from Nigeria to Yemen to train with leaders of al Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP, U.S. prosecutors said in a statement. Babafemi, 33, helped AQAP's media operations, including the publication of its magazine, called "Inspire," according to the statement.
The group's leadership, including Anwar al-Awlaki, was also alleged to have paid Babafemi almost $9,000 to recruit English-speaking
people from Nigeria, according to prosecutors.
Awlaki, a U.S. citizen born in New Mexico, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
Babafemi, also known as "Ayatollah Mustapha," was charged with four counts in an indictment,
including conspiracy to provide material support to AQAP and use of firearms. He faces life in prison if convicted on firearms charges
and up to 15 years in prison on the material support charges.
U.S. District Judge John Gleeson yesterday ordered Babafemi held without bail. In August, a Nigerian court granted a U.S. request for
Babafemi's extradition.
The United States and other Western powers are closely watching Nigeria. They fear that al
Qaeda-linked militants could launch attacks from the West African nation, which is facing
an Islamist insurgency in its north.
"The defendant threw his efforts behind al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's media, recruitment, and weapons training campaigns
in an effort to strengthen the terrorist group's grip on the region and extend its reach throughout the world," Loretta Lynch, the U.S.
attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a prepared statement Friday. "We will use every tool at our disposal to
combat al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in a manner consistent with our laws," Lynch
said.