2 guilty in Minnesota ISIS trial denied de-radicalization review

Abdirahman Yasin Daud
Abdirahman Yasin Daud
Courtesy Sherburne County Jail
Guled Omar
Guled Omar
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP

Updated 3:30 p.m. | Posted 1:20 p.m.

A federal judge has denied a motion by two Minnesota men convicted of plotting to join the ISIS terror group to be assessed by a German de-radicalization expert prior to sentencing.

Abdirahman Daud and Guled Omar face possible life sentences after being found guilty by a jury in June.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, who pioneered use of the de-radicalization program, denied Daud's and Omar's motions on Tuesday.

The program was developed by a German expert who works with neo-Nazis and other extremists.

Daud and Omar asked the court to have Daniel Koehler, of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-Radicalization Studies, assess risk and recommend "intervention needs" ahead of sentencing.

But Davis said there's no need for the government to contract with Koehler because he's trained federal officials in Minnesota, and the probation office will make its own risk assessment using Koehler's methods.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction (July 5, 2016): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated when the men were found guilty by a jury. The story also indicated the men had been barred from the de-radicalization program. They were only denied a pre-sentencing evaluation by German expert Daniel Koehler.