Posted on 09/30/2012 6:32:37 PM PDT by Hunton Peck
MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota man accused of helping to recruit and finance U.S. fighters for an overseas terror group heads to trial Monday in a case that's expected to show how some young Somali expatriates in Minneapolis were persuaded to risk their lives for insurgents back home.
Mahamud Said Omar, 46, faces five terror-related counts as part of a much broader investigation into recruiting by al-Shabab, a U.S.-designated terror group linked to al-Qaida at the center of much of the violence in Somalia.
Since 2007, more than 20 young men are believed to have left Minnesota for the East African nation, presumably to take up arms with al-Shabab. The departures shook the Somali community in Minnesota — the largest in the United States.
While prosecutors don't consider Omar a mastermind in the Minneapolis pipeline, they allege that he was far more than a bit player: They say he encouraged young men to fight, helped some get tickets for travel to Somalia and helped pay for weapons.
"We believe it's a very important case because it will be the government's only opportunity, to date, to explain to the public what has been going on in the Somali community, and how these recruiters have been going after these young men," said U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Jeanne Cooney. "I think it will go a long way in explaining how these cases tie together."
Omar, who came to the U.S. in 1993 and is a permanent resident, insists he is innocent of the charges, which include conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. He could face life in prison if convicted.
"He maintains that he has never lifted a hand or spoken a word against the interests of the United States, and that's what the evidence will show," said Jon Hopeman, one of Omar's...
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Diversity enriching Minnesota ping!
Is he a Methodist?
It’s Minnesota. He must be Lutheran.
If convicted, I’m sure he’ll get a nice CAIR cell provided
by Keith Hakeem Ellison’s constituents’ money.
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