Malian national indicted in Brooklyn federal court for murder of U.S. diplomat
Defendant accused of killing Defense Dept. employee, wounding U.S. Marine
An indictment was unsealed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court charging Alhassane Ould Mohamed, 42, also known as “Cheibani,” a Malian citizen, with the murder and attempted murder of United States Embassy personnel stationed in Niamey, Niger in December 2000.
In addition, a reward of $20,000 was announced for information that leads to the defendant’s capture.
According to the indictment, in the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2000, the defendant and a co-conspirator accosted a group of employees of the United States Embassy in Niger as they left a restaurant in Niamey, Niger. Carrying a pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle, the two men approached Department of Defense official William Bultemeier as he was about to enter his car, which bore diplomatic license plates clearly indicating that it belonged to the United States Embassy. The defendant demanded that Bultemeier turn over the keys to the diplomatic vehicle and used the pistol to shoot Bultemeier, according to the charges.
Staff Sgt. Christopher McNeely, the Marine detachment commander for the U.S. Embassy in Niger at the time, ran to Bultemeier’s aid. The defendant’s co-conspirator then fired his AK-47 at Bultemeier and McNeely, hitting them both. After rifling through Bultemeier’s pockets to get the car keys, the defendant and his fellow assailant drove away in the vehicle, according to the indictment.