Friday, March 29, 2024

4 US Citizens Sentenced for Attempted Gambian Coup

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — Four U.S. citizens were sentenced in federal court for their roles in a failed attempt to overthrow the government in the West African nation of Gambia, the U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday.

 

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The men were sentenced for conspiring to violate the Neutrality Act, which makes it illegal to take military action against a country with which the United States is “at peace.” The charges stemmed from a Dec. 30, 2014, coup attempt in the former British colony, which came as longtime President Yahya Jammeh was away.

 

 

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“These defendants conspired to overthrow a foreign government,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a statement. “Regardless of the legitimacy of their personal and emotional connections to The Gambia, these men placed countless innocents in harm’s way when they engaged in a brazen and fatally flawed attempt at regime change.”

 

 

Cherno Njie, 58, of Lakeway, Texas, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. Prosecutors say Njie was a financier and would have served as the interim leader of Gambia had the coup succeeded.

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