Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani Was Not Charged With A Terrorism Crime

A former mechanic for American Airlines has pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to charges he sabotaged an airliner that was preparing to depart with 150 people on board.

Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani admitted that he committed the crime, but did so in an effort to get overtime pay for fixing the jet, which he did.

USA Today reports that the 60-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Iraq had been an airline mechanic for 30 years.

Alani was not charged with a terrorism-related crime, though prosecutors said he has a brother in Iraq who may have ties to ISIS. Investigators said he had Islamic State videos on his phone showing mass murders, and that he had traveled to Iraq in March but did not inform the FBI about that trip.

Alani glued Styrofoam in the nose of the jet which disabled the pitot system of the Boeing 737 that was preparing to depart from Miami. The discrepancy was noted by the crew before the aircraft took off. Many of his actions were captured on surveillance video, and he was also identified by fellow workers, according to the report.

The charge of attempted destruction of an aircraft carries a maximum 20-year sentence, though it is expected that Alani will receive less prison time when he is sentenced March 4.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report