Feds: Minneapolis man attempted to provide material support to ISIS
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The U.S. Attorney’s office has charged a Minneapolis man with allegedly trying to provide material support for the terrorist group ISIS.
According to court documents, in December of last year Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 22, tried on two occasions to travel from Minnesota to Somalia and attempted to hide the actual reason for his trips.
Federal prosecutors say Hassan allegedly posted his support for ISIS on his social media accounts. And they say he communicated online with a group that encourages others to travel overseas to join ISIS.
Prosecutors also say earlier this week, FBI officials observed Hassan driving while holding the ISIS flag.
The charge comes about a decade after nine Somali men from Minnesota were arrested for allegedly plotting to join ISIS. In 2014 the FBI began an investigation when reports surfaced about the departures of several Minnesotans believed to have joined radical groups in Syria. Many in the Twin Cities Somali community were shocked at the magnitude of the arrests and charges. Some family members insisted the men were innocent and never intended to harm anyone. Defense attorneys portrayed the young men as “talkers but not doers.”
Hassan is in custody pending a detention hearing next week.
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