US government knew of NJ man in Yemen before arrest this month in al-Qaida sweep

US gov’t knew about NJ man before Yemen arrest

WASHINGTON — A law enforcement official says the U.S. government knew about the New Jersey man charged in Yemen with being a member of al-Qaida, even before Yemeni officials arrested him.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Sharif Mobley, the 26-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested this month in Yemen as part of a security sweep of al-Qaida suspects.

The official says the U.S. government was aware of Mobley’s potential extremist ties before Yemeni officials arrested him, but did not provide a time frame or details about what exactly was known about him.

Mobley was taken to the hospital in Yemen over the weekend after he complained of feeling ill. Yemeni officials said he snatched a gun from a security guard and fatally shot one guard and wounded another before being captured.