"Ali Charaf Damache, aka ‘Theblackflag,’ 52, of Algeria, made his initial appearance today following extradition from Spain for his involvement in conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists," the release stated.
Damache is the first foreign terrorism suspect to be brought to the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Along with co-conspirators from the United States and Europe, Damarche is accused of recruiting for the terrorist group al-Qaeda terrorist in the Islamic Maghreb (banned in Russia) and for plotting terror attacks in Europe and Asia.
In 2011, the US government indicted Damache on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of attempted identity theft to facilitate international terrorism.
He was arrested in Barcelona in 2015, and Spanish authorities turned him over to the United States this year.
During the 2016 election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to "restock" the Guantanamo Bay military detention center with foreign terror suspects, but EU law would prohibit Damarche from being extradited to the United States if he faced the prospect of being indefinitely detained.
