Prosecutors Say He Has Ties To The Islamic Terrorist Group

The man accused of sabotaging an American Airlines jet preparing to depart from Miami by disabling airspeed sensors has ties to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS, according to prosecutors.

The website Townhall reports that during a bail hearing in Miami for Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, the American Airlines mechanic who is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq, had ISIS propaganda videos on his phone at the time of his arrest. He is connected to the group through his brother in Iraq, according to authorities.

The Associated Press reports that at the hearing Wednesday morning, U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley imposed pretrial detention for 60-year-old mechanic. He has not been charged with a terror-related crime.

Alani has been accused of trying to disable the airplane over ongoing labor negotiations with his union. He said he hoped to be assigned to repair the jet in order to collect overtime pay.

The problem was detected by the plane's pilots prior to takeoff. Surveillance video showed Alani sabotaging the plane over a period of about seven minutes.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report