Monday, July 18, 2011

Minnesota Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26 pleads guilty to aiding Somali militants. Somali-American man admits helping men travel to Somalia to fight. Somali Islamic Militias Recruit Child Soldiers, Amnesty International Says

update on Somali terror group linked to Al Qaeda 'recruited 21 men in Minnesota' Details of Somali Terrorist Recruitment in Minneapolis Revealed in New Court Documents : paper on Al Shabbab's role in Yemen and Somalia (Reuters) -



A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty on Monday to providing material support to a militant group that recruited young men of Somali descent to fight in Somalia, at least two of whom blew themselves up in attacks.






Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, faces up to 15 years in prison after admitting to providing support for al-Shabaab.

MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minnesota man pleaded guilty Monday to a terror charge for helping Somali men travel from Minneapolis to their homeland to take up arms with a militant group, averting what would have been the first trial in a long-running federal investigation into the recruiting of U.S. fighters for al-Shabab.

Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, of St. Anthony entered his plea the day before he was to face trial on six counts. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, specifically admitting he helped provide people as part of a conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim others in a foreign country.
He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and supervised release for the rest of his life when sentenced later.
Mohamed didn't travel to Somalia, but admitted he attended secret meetings and helped with the men who traveled. "I helped them get tickets," he said in court. At least 21 Somalis are believed to have traveled to Somalia to join the terror group al-Shabab in what began as a push to expel Ethiopian soldiers seen as invaders. At least four Minnesota men have died-- two by suicide bombings. In the U.S., an investigation centered in Minneapolis continues, with an 18th person charged just last month. Previous plea bargains have kept evidence in the investigation mostly under wraps, and Mohamed's trial had the potential to reveal more about the recruiting than has been known before. Mohamed's attorney, Peter Wold, said his client's case was strong but that he chose to plead guilty because he has a young son and another child on the way, and he faced the possibility of a much longer sentence if convicted. Wold described Mohamed as someone who was motivated by patriotism and wanted to help others defend his homeland from "mortal enemies." "He was only involved in a mission to protect Somalia," Wold said, adding that Mohamed discouraged young people from going, and later encouraged some of the travelers to return home. "Omer has nothing to do with terrorists," he said. The political landscape was different at the time, Wold said. Mohamed didn't know what al-Shabab was all about, he said, but does now and opposes the group.

Charles Kovats, an assistant U.S. attorney, declined to comment.

U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said in a statement that members of the conspiracy "violated the law in a dangerous and misguided effort to support a terrorist organization." He said the effort tore apart many Somali-American families. "In some instances family members discovered what happened to their relatives only by watching Internet videos being used as propaganda by al-Shabab," Jones said. He added that he hopes continued prosecutions against those involved will help deter "these ill-advised actions in the future." While answering questions from his attorney and the prosecutor, Mohamed told the court he was born in Somalia in 1985 and came to the U.S. in the mid-1990s because of turmoil in his homeland. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then turned on each other. In 2006, Ethiopian soldiers viewed as abusive by many Somalis occupied parts of Somalia and a militant group called al-Shabab began fighting against them. The U.S. declared al-Shabab a terrorist organization in early 2008. But in late 2007, anti-Ethiopian sentiment was running high among the Somali diaspora in Minnesota. When Wold asked Mohamed about that in court, Mohamed said: "It was everywhere." Mohamed admitted that from September through December 2007, he attended meetings at mosques, restaurants and a residence in which members discussed and planned traveling to Somalia to fight. He admitted he was present when men raised money, and that he used his contact at a local travel agency to help travelers get airline tickets. He also admitted he obtained a fake itinerary for one man who wanted to mislead his parents. He admitted he knew the men would commit acts to "murder, kidnap or maim" others in Somalia. Mohamed has been free on electronic monitoring. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis allowed that to continue. Five others have already pleaded guilty to various counts in the government's investigation into the travelers, who began leaving Minnesota in small groups as early as October 2007. Prosecutors say that once in Somalia, the travelers went to al-Shabab safe houses and helped construct a training camp, where they received weapons training from senior members of al-Shabab and al-Qaida. In July 2008, men from Minneapolis participated in an al-Shabab ambush of Ethiopian troops along a road in Somalia. The preparations and the ambush were filmed as part of a propaganda video. Prosecutors say a man from Minneapolis appears in that video, encouraging more men to join the fighters in Somalia.
E.K. Wilson, an FBI supervisory special agent in charge of the Minneapolis investigation, said last week the case has been complex. Agents have spent years trying to identify people who left for Somalia and those who recruited and supported them, he said, as well as stopping further recruiting. Most importantly, Wilson said, the FBI is working to prevent a threat from returning to the United States. "We do not have any specific or credible information that any case of that is in the works, but that is our No. 1 priority," he said. Associated Press



Somali man admits terrorism charge in Minn.
Somali-American man admits helping men travel to Somalia to fight

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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