DOJ: Two U.S. citizens used Minnesota as base for overseas kidnappings and bombings
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A federal grand jury in Minnesota has indicted two naturalized U.S. citizens from the Republic of Cameroon, alleging they orchestrated kidnappings, bombings and killings in their native country.

Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, were arrested Friday morning in the District of Minnesota and face additional charges of conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad, conspiracy to provide material support or resources, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, according to the Department of Justice.

Kuah is also charged with three counts of providing material support or resources, conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the U.S.

The men made their initial appearances and are being held in custody pending detention hearings scheduled for Sept. 10 and 11.

A Cameroon trooper, right, stands next to an ambulance that was used to carry victims of a train that crashed on Friday in Eseka, Cameroon, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. Rescue workers dug through the rubble Saturday in search of more injured and dead after a train traveling between two major cities in Cameroon derailed in Eseka, killing scores of people according to rescue workers and hospital staff.

The alleged attacks happened in Cameroon, a country in Central Africa. (The Associated Press)

If convicted, the men face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.

Matthew Galeotti, acting assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, said the pair used the U.S. as a base of operations to “cause death, terror, and suffering among innocent civilians.”

Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, added the state “is not a launchpad” for overseas violence.

“Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away,” Thompson wrote in a statement. “They ordered kidnappings, bombings, and murders. Their crimes are an affront to both American law and basic human decency. Cameroon is a safer place because of this prosecution.” 

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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