Minnesota man pleads guilty in Gambia coup attempt
A Minnesota man is pleading guilty to charges tied to a failed coup in the West African nation of Gambia.
Forty-six-year-old Papa Faal of Brooklyn Park pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts.
Faal admitted in court he bought semiautomatic rifles in Minnesota, broke them down, and hid them in barrels that were shipped to Gambia. Faal, a U.S. citizen of Gambian descent, said he participated in calls with others trying to overthrow Yahya Jammeh, president of the former British colony.
The charges stem from a Dec. 30 coup attempt. Faal admitted he participated in the attack on Gambia's statehouse. He was charged with conspiracy to export firearms to Gambia without a license and conspiracy to participate in an attempted overthrow of a country with whom the U.S. is "at peace."
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