“Charges are first in U.S. for alleged terrorist activities in Iraq,” from CNN, :
WASHINGTON (CNN) — In the first U.S. criminal indictment connected to terrorist activities in Iraq, a federal grand jury in Washington on Friday charged an Iraqi-born Dutch citizen with conspiring to kill U.S. citizens.
The six-count indictment accuses 32-year-old Wesam Al Delaema, who was born in Falluja, with intention to kill Americans there with roadside bombs.
If convicted, Delaema faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The U.S. government alleges Delaema traveled in 2003 from Netherlands to Iraq, where he conspired with other members of the “Mujahedeen from Falluja.”
U.S. officials say the indictment is a step in the process of seeking Delaema’s extradition from Netherlands, where he is in custody.