American Airlines Mechanic Who Sabotaged Flight Has Ties To ISIS Prosecutors Claim

Mike Norris Co-Editor The American Dossier A federal judge cited evidence of ties to terrorism when denying bail for an American Airlines mechanic who tampered with a plane over the summer. Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani 60 is being held in pretrial detention after U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley ruled that Alani posed a flight risk. You may be very sympathetic to terrorists" Judge McAliley told Alani at the hearing. Thats very disconcerting." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA") also disclosed that it had issued an emergency order earlier this week revoking Alanis mechanic certificate with immediate effect. Earlier this month Alani was charged with willfully damaging destroying disabling or wrecking an aircraft after tampering with an air data module on a Boeing 737. The sabotage involved gluing a piece of Styrofoam inside the nose of the aircraft that disabled a sensor that measures the planes airspeed and pitch. The flight crew noticed an error related to the system and called off the flight from Miami to Nassau Bahamas. A spokesman for American said the airline had an unwavering commitment" to safety and security and had placed passengers on another plane to get to their destination. After his arrest Alani told law enforcement officials that he was upset over stalled contract negotiations between his union and American which he said had affected him financially. Unions have claimed that American is trying to outsource maintenance jobs a move American has said is necessary to cover increased wages. Alani says he hoped to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work." Alani did work overtime to help fix the plane. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq Alani has worked as an airline mechanic for 30 years with no prior criminal record. If convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison for willfully damaging destroying or disabling" an aircraft used in commercial aviation or trying to do so. Although he is not currently charged with a terror-related crime Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Medetis said that Alanis ties to the Islamic State (ISIS") give rise to the possibility that his actions were not what he claimed. At the time of his arrest Alani told agents Out of my evil side I wanted to do something" Medetis stated adding that the statement was recorded by the FBI. Evidence presented by prosecutors include that Alani has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with ISIS. An American Airlines coworker told prosecutors that Alani went to Iraq to visit a brother who was a member of ISIS. A roommate alleged Alani had to go because his brother was kidnapped. Stored on Alanis cellphone were numerous ISIS propaganda videos. After sharing one video he expressed a desire for Allah to use his divine powers" to harm non-Muslims. Other evidence revealed that Alani recently sent a wire transfer to someone in Iraq and that he traveled to Iraq in March. After the hearing Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) asked the FAA about the security breach and what protocols will you put in place to prevent this type of lapse from occurring again in the future?" The FAA said it would respond to Scott directly. After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division Mike attended Florida State University where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate. Since 2004 Mike has worked in the Florida Senate where he was one of only two Chiefs of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mikes eighth as a Political Consultant. Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods Michigan with his rescue Pit Bull Ike. http://www.whitefalconconsult.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/norrismichaelj/