A Minnesota man arrested overseas allegedly gave material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and was ISIS-trained, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.
Harafa Hussein Abdi, 41, of Minneapolis, was charged “with providing and conspiring to provide material support” to ISIS “and receiving and conspiring to receive military-type training from ISIS,” the DOJ said in a press release. Abdi allegedly left the US in 2015 for Somalia, where he allegedly joined ISIS and received “military-type training” in a camp in Somalia’s Puntland region, the DOJ noted. Abdi also allegedly helped film and distribute ISIS propaganda videos. The DOJ shared a photograph, allegedly taken by Abdi, of Abdi bearing an AK-47 assault rifle.
Abdi allegedly sang and distributed rap music with lyrics such as “hollow tips put a hole in your Catholic vest, and chop his head off let it rest on his Catholic chest,” “We going to carry on jihad” and “Fly through America on our way to shoot New York up. They trying to shut this thing. We ain’t going. We going to come blow New York up.” He accompanied some of the audio clips with the message, “Fighting back the kuffar who’s at war with Muslims if [that] is not islam then I don’t know wats Islam.”
“While training with ISIS fighters in Somalia, Abdi allegedly carried an AK-47, threatened to attack civilians in New York City, and encouraged others to carry out such attacks,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said in the press release.
Abdi allegedly helped to spread the “vile ideology” of ISIS, but his relationship with the group’s leadership deteriorated and the group jailed him, according to the press release. Abdi escaped and was arrested in East Africa, the press release said. He admitted in interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he was featured joined, was featured in propaganda videos and trained with ISIS. (RELATED: Police Arrest Teenager Trying To Board Flight For Allegedly Attempting To Join ISIS)
U.S. Citizen Charged with Providing Material Support to Isis And Receiving Military-Type Training at Isis Fighter Camp
🔗: https://t.co/UmSrSODWNe pic.twitter.com/OxRKI1cvsh
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) February 16, 2024
Abdi faces a combined 45 to 55 years in jail if convicted of the charges.
Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch said the FBI would keep protecting Americans and help to “uncover and disrupt terrorist activity” within and outside the U.S., according to the press release.
Attorney Williams said his office stood ready to “investigate, disrupt and prosecute terrorist threats against Americans,” the press release added.