ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria is asking a court to extradite a citizen wanted in the United States for terrorism.
According to court papers made available Wednesday the U.S. Embassy is requesting the extradition of Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi on a federal indictment charging he provided support to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
The papers say Babafemi, 33, admitted to FBI agents that he traveled to Yemen with AQAP members and was given $8,600 to return to Nigeria and recruit English speakers to radicalize others.
Nigeria requested his extradition at a court in Abuja on Tuesday, saying Babafemi fled home from the United States earlier this year.
AQAP claims many terrorist attacks including the 2009 attempted bombing of a Northwest Airline flight from Amsterdam to Detroit by a Nigerian with explosives hidden in his underwear.
