Alaa Mohd Abusaad was charged today by criminal complaint in Birmingham, Alabama with attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and aiding and abetting others.
As set forth in the complaint, Abusaad instructed an FBI undercover employee (UCE) about how to send money to the mujahedeen—fighters engaged in jihad. Abusaad told the UCE that money “is always needed. You can’t have a war without weapons. You can’t prepare a soldier without equipment.” Abusaad also advised the UCE on how to send money in a manner that would avoid detection by law enforcement, including by using fake names and addresses when conducting electronic money transfers. Subsequently, Abusaad introduced the UCE to a financial facilitator who could route the UCE’s money to “brothers that work with aq” (meaning al Qaeda).
If convicted, Abusaad faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to a life term supervised release.
