Houston – Alleged terrorism suspect Daniel Joseph Maldonado will remain at Houston’s federal detention center as he awaits trial, a Houston federal judge determined Wednesday.
Maldonado, 28, is the first American accused of training with al-Qaeda in Somalia. He was returned to the U.S. last week and charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the U.S. and knowingly receiving military- type training from a designated foreign terrorist group. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the bomb charge.
Based on the evidence presented in a two-day preliminary hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Calvin Botley ruled Maldonado was a flight risk and a danger to the community.
“Mr. Maldonado did receive military training, and in the camp where he was, al-Qaeda members were there,” the judge said. “Who was in charge of the camp remains a question.”
U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle said he intends to take the case – possibly with additional evidence – to a grand jury in the next two weeks, which could result in additional charges.
The likelihood of a conviction for consorting with al-Qaeda may rest with whether a jury believes Maldonado went to Somalia to fight with the terrorist group.
The government alleges that Maldonado trained with radical Islamic camps in southern Somalia, which were controlled or attended by al-Qaeda members, from November until January.Maldonado’s lawyer, Brent Newton, said none of the evidence showed Maldonado “conspired” to make bombs, as the charge alleges, but that he was involved with firearms and training with “a hodgepodge of self-proclaimed mujahedeen” or holy warriors – not al-Qaeda.
“As offensive as that may be to the government, it’s not a crime,” Newton said.
It is unclear when Maldonado, also known as Daniel Aljughaifi, converted, but he was new to Islam in late 2005 when he moved from Boston to spend a few months in Houston. He lived in a southwest Houston townhouse with his wife and two children.
