The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil denaturalization case against a Gambian-born former military police officer accused of participating in the extrajudicial execution of six soldiers during the early days of former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule.
According to the Department of Justice, Baboucarr Mboob, 58, allegedly concealed his involvement in the killings when he immigrated to the United States and later became a naturalized American citizen in 2011.
U.S. authorities say the case relates to events that took place on November 11, 1994, months after the military coup that brought Jammeh to power in The Gambia. Prosecutors allege that Mboob, then serving in the Gambian army’s military police unit, participated alongside other soldiers in the execution of six officers accused of plotting a counter-coup.
The Department of Justice said the victims were killed without trial under orders from a commanding officer loyal to the military regime.
American officials further allege that Mboob failed to disclose his alleged role in the executions throughout his immigration and naturalization process after entering the United States in 2002.
The case gained renewed attention after testimony given before Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission in April 2019, where Mboob reportedly admitted involvement in the executions during public hearings examining abuses committed under Jammeh’s government.
The U.S. government now argues that Mboob unlawfully obtained American citizenship through concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentation regarding his military background and alleged participation in war crimes.
In a statement announcing the broader crackdown, Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said individuals linked to serious crimes or terrorism “should never have been naturalized as United States citizens.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate added that the Justice Department would continue pursuing denaturalization cases against individuals accused of fraud or grave human rights abuses.
The action against Mboob forms part of a wider Justice Department initiative targeting twelve naturalized citizens accused of offenses ranging from terrorism support and immigration fraud to sexual abuse and war crimes.
Under U.S. law, citizenship can be revoked if authorities prove it was obtained illegally or through false statements or concealment of significant information.
No court ruling has yet been made in the case, and the allegations remain unproven unless established in court proceedings.
