American Airlines Mechanic Had Islamic State Videos On Phone

MIAMI, FL — Prosecutors told a federal judge Wednesday that an American Airlines mechanic who worked at Miami International Airport had videos on his cellphone depicting Islamic State group mass murders that he shared with others.

After reviewing the evidence presented by prosecutors and hearing from the defense during an 80-minute hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley ruled that Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani posed a flight risk and danger to the community. The jurist ordered Alani to be held without bail pending his court case.

Prosecutors said Alani also has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with the Islamic State extremist group and that the mechanic himself made statements wishing Allah would use “divine powers” to harm non-Muslims.

The 60-year-old Alani recently sent a $700 wire transfer to someone in Iraq where he has extended family, according to prosecutors, who also allege that Alani failed to disclose after his arrest that he traveled to Iraq in March.

Alani's public defender did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Asked about the alleged Islamic State group videos on Alani's phone, an American Airlines spokesperson told Patch that safety is the company's top priority.

“We are cooperating with federal authorities in this investigation," the spokesperson said on Wednesday. "The safety of our customers and team members remains our top priority.”

Alani is accused of tampering with an airplane headed for the Bahamas with 150 people on board in July. He allegedly told investigators he was hoping to pick up some overtime by fixing the aircraft.

Court documents said the Tracy, California, man was charged with willfully damaging, destroying, or disabling an aircraft.

“On July 17, flight 2834 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue," a spokesperson for American Airlines told Patch at the time of Alani's arrest. "Passengers boarded a new aircraft which then re-departed for Nassau."

Court documents said Alani allegedly disabled the aircraft's ADM system, which reports aircraft speed, pitch and other critical flight data. American Airlines captured the alleged tampering on surveillance video.

Alani allegedly told law enforcement investigators that he was "upset at the stalled contract dispute between the union workers and American Airlines" that was affecting him financially, court documents explained.

"Alani claimed that he tampered with the target aircraft in order to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work," according to the documents.

American's Senior Vice President of Integrated Operations, David Seymour, described the incident as "extremely serious" in a communication to the airline's 130,000 employees.

"Fortunately, with appropriate safety protocols and processes, this individual’s actions were discovered and mitigated before our aircraft flew," he said.

Court documents said the mechanic allegedly admitted to inserting a piece of foam into the ADM'S inlet where the line connects. He applied super-glue to the foam to keep it from coming off, according to court documents.

"Alani stated that his intention was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers," court documents said. The ADM was located in the aircraft's electrical and electronic equipment compartment.

"Alani further advised that after he accessed the E&E compartment and tampered with the ADM, he went up to the flight deck of the target aircraft to check on whether the target aircraft's system detected the tampered ADM," court documents said.

Special Agent Michael Leverock and spokesman Jim Marshall of the FBI in Miami said Alani was arrested for his alleged involvement in the "sabotage" of a commercial airline aircraft.

American Airlines said that it "immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation" with the airline's full cooperation.

Alani is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq who has worked as an airline mechanic for 30 years, with no prior criminal record. He’s not charged with a terror-related crime, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Medetis said the potential links to the Islamic State give rise to the possibility his actions had a darker purpose.

Alani allegedly told agents after his arrest earlier this month: “Out of my evil side, I wanted to do something,” according to Medetis, who said the statement was recorded by the FBI.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.