The initial claim that he was doing it for break seemed pretty silly. The plane was about to take off when they discovered the sabotage.
Via Fox News:
A federal judge on Wednesday denied bail to a former American Airlines mechanic accused of sabotaging a jetliner in July over possible links to the Islamic State (ISIS).
U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley ordered Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani held during a Miami court hearing. He is charged with willfully damaging, destroying or disabling an aircraft,
Prosecutors presented evidence that Alani — a naturalized American citizen from Iraq — has a brother with possible ties to ISIS and a history of statements wishing harm to non-Muslims.
They said he recently sent $700 to someone in Iraq and has videos on his cel phone depicting murders committed by ISIS militants. He also failed to disclose to arresting authorities that he traveled to Iraq in March.