Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

When Minnesota Somalis began traveling to
their war-torn homeland to take up arms nearly three years ago,
authorities initially feared they might someday return as domestic
terrorists.
      

But recent court activity suggests at least some of the men are
not as dangerous as once feared. Five have been allowed to go free
with various conditions as their cases work through the court
system, including two who admitted spending time in a terrorist
training camp. 


After months in custody, the pair have gradually
received more freedom, and are now living with family members.

      "Judges tend to err on the side of caution in these cases,"
said Stephen Vladeck, an associate law professor at American
University in Washington. So for a court to release a terrorism
suspect, the judge "found clearly and convincingly that the
defendant is not a threat."


      Roughly 20 men - all but one of Somali descent - left Minnesota
from December 2007 through October 2009 to join al-Shabab, a
violent group that seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia.

The federal government designated al-Shabab a foreign terrorist
organization in March 2008, and said it has ties to al-Qaida.


      The threat posed by al-Shabab took on more urgency last week,
when the group claimed responsibility for twin bombings in Uganda
that killed 76 people during the World Cup final. It was the first
time al-Shabab had struck outside Somalia's borders. In a new audio
message released Thursday, the militant group's leader threatened
further attacks.

      It's unclear whether any Minnesota men were involved in the
attack. The FBI is assisting the investigation in Uganda.

      Federal officials are still seeking some of the Minnesota
suspects, and authorities warn the group could still pose a threat
in the future.


      "These individuals still present a dangerousness because of the
ideology involved and the training that they get in camps," said
E.K. Wilson, an FBI spokesman in Minneapolis.
    

  At least initially, many of the men appear to have been
motivated not by anger at America but at turmoil in their Somali
homeland, which has not had a functioning government since 1991,
when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator and then turned on
each other, plunging the African nation of 7 million into chaos.
      


In late 2006, Ethiopian soldiers were brought into Somalia by a
weak U.N.-backed government that was struggling to regain control
of the country. Many Somalis saw that occupation as an invasion,
and they viewed the Ethiopian soldiers as abusive and heavy-handed.
      


In Minnesota, home of the largest population of Somali
immigrants in the United States, anti-Ethiopian sentiment became
commonplace - in coffee shops, households and public venues.
     

 By the fall of 2007, some Somali men were holding secret
meetings at Minneapolis mosques and homes, plotting ways to fight
the Ethiopians, court documents said.

      The men were accused of varying degrees of involvement in the
movement to return to Somalia. Court documents say some helped pay
for weapons or travel. Another person came up with a fundraising
scheme. Others went to Somalia to learn to use machine guns and
rocket-propelled grenades. At least one man helped ambush Ethiopian
troops. Someone else carried out a suicide bombing.

      "Nationalism may have played a role in the initial attraction
or initial draw of these individuals, but radicalism and violent
extremism at some point was introduced to many of them," Wilson
said.

      Charges have been filed against 14 men - including some people
who traveled to Somalia and some who did not. Seven of those
charged are still at large. One man is in the Netherlands fighting
extradition to the U.S., a process that could take many more
months.

      All except one of the men who are in Minnesota were deemed fit
for release with some conditions. For instance, Salah Osman Ahmed
and Abdifatah Yusuf Isse both went to Somalia and later pleaded
guilty to providing material support to terrorists. Their
restrictions were gradually lifted over time - to the point where
they are now at family homes and no longer on electronic
monitoring.

      Attorneys for the two said their clients went to Somalia to
fight the Ethiopian army, but left the training camps before
al-Shabab was declared a terrorist organization. Ahmed helped clear
brush and trees for a camp, and Isse helped build a camp, according
to court documents.


      It's not clear when they will be sentenced. Their attorneys
declined to make them available for interviews.

      The others who are free include one man who awaits trial for
allegedly helping some of the travelers, and one who pleaded guilty
to perjury. 


Another man, Abdow Munye Abdow, was sentenced Friday to
four months in prison, followed by four months' home detention, for
obstruction of justice. Abdow, who did not travel to Somalia but
lied to investigators, is free while awaiting his prison
assignment.

      The only suspect to remain in custody in Minnesota is Kamal Said
Hassan, who is accused of traveling to Somalia in December 2007
with Ahmed, staying al-Shabab training camps, and continuing to
work with al-Shabab after his training. He has pleaded guilty to
providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and
other charges.


      The Minnesota investigation is not over. Authorities say the
case is complex because of national security issues, the number of
suspects, and the geography and the lawlessness of Somalia.

      A significant part of the case is at an "advanced stage,"
Wilson said, but "there are still questions that we have,
questions that we are trying to answer."

Gallery

Somali man who lied to FBI to spend 4 months in prison

FBI: Uganda attacks signal terror group potential

Somali information chief says war fueled by 'dueling messages'

Civil War Kids: Young Somalis in Minnesota

Politics and Government News

Unrest

Minnesota News

Twin Cities News

Amy Forliti, Associated Press

Author

When Minnesota Somalis began traveling to
their war-torn homeland to take up arms nearly three years ago, authorities feared they might someday return as domestic terrorists. But recent court activity suggests at least some of the men are not as dangerous as once feared.

Suspects in Minn. terror case go free with conditions

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox