U.S. Charges Two Individuals with Role in Attempted Coup in The Gambia

On January 5, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal complaint charging Cherno Njie, 57, and Papa Faal, 46, for their role in a recent attempted coup in The Gambia.  Both individuals are in custody and appeared in court on January 5. Njie appeared in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was detained and extradited to Minnesota, where the case will be prosecuted.   Njie did not enter a plea. Faal appeared on the same day in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  A detention hearing was scheduled for January 8 as Faal does not yet have counsel. A Criminal Complaint charges both defendants with conspiring to violate the Neutrality Act by making a military expedition against a friendly country from the U.S. and conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.