Minneapolis Man Faces Charges for Training, Helping ISIS in Somalia, Threatening To Attack NYC

A Minneapolis man faces charges for purportedly assisting and instructing ISIS terrorists in Somalia, as well as threatening an attack on New York City, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) statement released on Friday.

Harafa Hussein Abdi, 41, has been apprehended in Africa and brought back to the US for a court appearance before a federal judge in Manhattan, New York, scheduled for Friday, according to a declaration from the department, as per Fox News.

US Citizen Arrested for ISIS Links

TOPSHOT-SYRIA-CONFLICT-NORUZ — (Photo : GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A fighter with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands in front of a bonfireduring Nowruz (Noruz) celebrations near the village of Baghouz in the countryside of the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor on March 20, 2019, as battles continue to capture the Islamic State (IS) group's last scrap of territory. The Persian New Year is an ancient Zoroastrian tradition celebrated by Iranians and Kurds which coincides with the vernal (spring) equinox and is calculated by the solar calendar.

Police authorities have captured Abdi, a naturalized US. citizen born in Somalia in 1982, for his alleged ties to the notorious terrorist organization ISIS. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen from the Justice Department's National Security Division mentioned that Abdi traveled from his country to join ISIS, received fighter training, and played a part in propagating the group's harmful views through propaganda.

During his training with ISIS fighters in Somalia, Abdi allegedly brandished an AK-47 and, as per US Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, even threatened to carry out attacks against civilians in New York City. Security services discovered messages from Abdi containing a photograph of him holding the assault rifle, providing crucial evidence against him.

It has been revealed that Abdi played a role in ISIS' 'media' wing, where he participated in filming footage intended for distribution by a pro-ISIS media outlet. Furthermore, he is accused of encouraging others to execute similar attacks, as depicted in unsealed audio clips where he rapped about shooting and bombing individuals in New York.

In a disturbing audio clip, Abdi reportedly made threats about causing harm in New York City. The criminal complaint provides a detailed account of how he used social media to promote and incite acts of terror against the United States, according to Daily Mail.

Ex-ISIS Recruit Arrested for Threats Against NYC

Abdi, who moved from Minnesota to Somalia in 2015, joined a group of ISIS fighters at a training camp. Over the following two years, he not only received weapons training but also actively participated in the group's media activities, including the production of a recruiting video distributed by a pro-ISIS outlet.

The criminal complaint quotes lyrics from a 2017 audio clip where Abdi allegedly rapped about inflicting violence in New York City. "We going to carry on jihad; 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 reportedly declared.

Abdi's connection with ISIS came to a turbulent decision in 2017 due to his strained relationship with the group's leaders. Initially detained by the group, he successfully fled and journeyed to East Africa, where security authorities apprehended him. After being apprehended by US authorities, Abdi admitted, in an FBI interrogation, to enrolling in the training camp in Somalia.

He is now facing charges, including conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as conspiring to receive and receiving military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization. The gravity of the charges against Abdi carries the potential for a significant prison term, with the most serious charges holding a possible 20-year sentence.

This situation brings up concerns regarding the recruitment and actions of people associated with extremist organizations, establishing the continuous work of authorities to prevent and avoid acts of terrorism within the United States, AP News reported.