2 men charged in US in attempted Gambia coup

Two men have been charged in the United States with conspiring to help overthrow the government in the tiny West African nation of Gambia, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Both men were in custody and were expected to make court appearances later in the day in Baltimore and Minneapolis. 

"These defendants stand accused of conspiring to carry out the violent overthrow of a foreign government, in violation of U.S. law," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. "The United States strongly condemns such conspiracies. With these serious charges, the United States is committed to holding them fully responsible for their actions."

The charges stem from a Dec. 30 coup attempt, which came as the former British colony’s longtime President Yahya Jammeh was away. Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 20 years, blamed "terrorist groups" for the coup attempt and alleged that plotters had received backing from foreign countries.

Prosecutors said the two men, Cherno Njie and Papa Faal, traveled separately from the U.S. to Gambia to participate in the unrest there. They later returned to the U.S.

Human rights activists have long criticized the Gambian government for targeting political opponents, journalists, and gays and lesbians. The U.S. government recently removed Gambia from a trade agreement in response to human rights abuses, including a law signed in October that imposes life imprisonment for some homosexual acts

Faal, who is a 46-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Gambia and lives in Minnesota, told investigators that in August he joined a movement in the U.S. bent on overthrowing the Gambian government.

He said he was motivated to participate by concerns that elections were being rigged, and over "the plight of the Gambian people," according to court papers.

Prosecutors said he purchased semi-automatic rifles in Minnesota that were then shipped to Gambia by cargo vessel.

After members of the group were defeated at the Gambian State House, Faal escaped by ferry to neighboring Senegal, where he walked into the U.S. Embassy, spoke to U.S. officials and gave the FBI permission to search his home in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, prosecutors say.

Njie, 57, is a U.S. citizen of Gambian descent who lives in Austin, Texas. He was arrested Sunday after flying into Dulles International Airport from Senegal.

The men are charged with conspiracy to violate the 1939 Neutrality Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens or residents from taking up arms or plotting against a nation at peace with the U.S.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press