President of The Gambia Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh and First Lady Zineb Jammeh greet the press as they arrived at the White House in August 2014. Two American were arrested Monday in a plot to overthrow The Gambia government. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI |
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BALTIMORE, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Two Americans -- one from Minnesota and the other from Texas -- were charged in the bloody coup attempt in the small West African nation of Gambia, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
Authorities said Cherno Njie, of Austin, Texas, and Papa Faal, of Brooklyn Center, Minn., were among 10 to 12 people who attempted to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh's government on Dec. 30. Njie, 57, was a leader and the main financier of the attempt and Faal was among the group of fighters, the arrest affidavit said. Njie had also planned to serve as interim leader once the coup was successful, court records show.
"The group's plan for the coup was purportedly to restore democracy to The Gambia and to improve the lives of its people," the affidavit said. "They hoped they would be able to take over the country without having to kill any Gambians. They also expected to be joined by up to 160 members of the local Gambian military who supposedly agreed to participate in the coup."
Jammeh, who was traveling abroad during the coup attempt, has ruled The Gambia since he seized power in 1994. Since then, he has been accused of violating civil liberties and human rights.
According to court documents, Faal, who has dual U.S. and Gambian citizenship, joined the movement in August because of concerns about his homeland. He said Njie, a U.S. citizen of Gambian descent, paid $4,000 to each of the men participating in the operation. In the following months, Faal and two other unnamed U.S.-based members bought eight M4 semi-automatic rifles and other firearms and had them shipped via cargo ship to the country. Others purchased body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition and military gear.
The group met in the woods near Jammeh's house on Dec. 30 with the hopes Gambian Army soldiers would quickly surrender, court papers allege. Instead, the army fired back, killing some members of the conspiracy.
Court records show the FBI found information in both Faal's and Njie's homes that link them to the coup attempt, including handwritten documents that detail the view for the transition of power and a spreadsheet that details items that could be used during the coup.
Both men are charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the U.S. Neutrality Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens from attacking countries that are at peace with the U.S., and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.
"These defendants stand accused of conspiring to carry out the violent overthrow of a foreign government, in violation of U.S. law," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "The United States strongly condemns such conspiracies. With these serious charges, the United States is committed to holding them fully responsible for their actions."
