Alleged al Qaeda operative charged in N.Y. court

NEW YORK U.S. prosecutors have charged an alleged al Qaeda operative with plotting to kill American diplomats in Nigeria.

Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun was named in court papers made public on Wednesday in New York City. Prosecutors said he would appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday.

Prosecutors say Harun was born in Saudi Arabia but claims citizenship in Niger. He was extradited from Italy to the United States in October and arraigned in Brooklyn during a sealed proceeding.

He's also charged with conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda, providing material support to al Qaeda and related firearms and explosives counts.

"As alleged in the indictment, the defendant was a prototype al-Qaeda operative, trained by al-Qaeda in terrorist tradecraft, deployed to fight American servicemen, and dispatched to commit terrorist attacks throughout the world," said U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch.