Tracy Airline Mechanic Accused Of Sabotaging Flight Allegedly Spread ISIS Propaganda
MIAMI (CBS) - An American Airlines mechanic from Tracy accused of trying to sabotage a plane allegedly has ties to ISIS.
Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, is accused of tampering with a crucial navigation system on a jet at Miami International Airport. According to the criminal complaint, Alani allegedly tried to disable the plane's air data module while 150 people were onboard. The pilots aborted the flight and nobody was hurt.
Now he's charged with willfully damaging, destroying or disabling an aircraft.
The plane was about to fly 150 people to the Bahamas, but the flight was aborted when pilots noticed alarms going off.
After his arrest, Alani reportedly told investigators he was upset about contract talks between the airline and the mechanics union. Alani said he hoped "to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work."
On Wednesday, he was denied bond in a federal court in Florida. Prosecutors claim he has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with ISIS. They also say he downloaded an ISIS video on his phone and sent it to someone. For now,
Aani is not facing any terrorism-related charges.
