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Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Minnesota/Somalia connection

A continuing pattern of recruitment and training out of the Somali community in Minneapolis/St Paul.  The arrests of some involved in the travel and movement of these jihadists is a good thing, ultimately the pipeline will continue to operate and shuffle those actively trying to kill us between the training camps and American soil.

When will the charade end and we get a clue as to who we are fighting, and why is anyones guess.


From the MailOnline July 16

Somali terror group linked to Al Qaeda 'recruited 21 men in Minnesota'


A Somali terror group has allegedly recruited more than 20 young men from Minnesota to fight against the Ethopian army.

Details of how a carefully-organised Islamist cell raised money, created fake itineraries and held secret meetings have emerged ahead of the trial of one suspected leader.

Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, is one of 18 men charged with recruiting young Somalis from Minneapolis to join terror group al-Shabab, which has links to Al Qaeda.

Since 2007, at least 21 men have left Minnesota for Somalia, where they arrived at safehouses and were given AK-47s and weapons training, court documents claim, before fighting Ethiopian troops.

Back in Minnesota, members of the cell raised money for their trip by duping the Somali community into thinking the cash was to give aid to their home country.

Mohamed never travelled to Somalia, but he is accused of helping others who did. His lawyer has dismissed the allegations as ridiculous.

Peter Wold said: 'Omer was never involved in terrorism. It certainly stirs the public sentiment to suggest that, but it is not part of this case, not a part of Omer, and that will be abundantly clear.'

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator and then turned on each other, causing chaos in the African nation of about seven million people.

In 2006, Ethiopian soldiers occupied parts of Somalia and an Islamic militant group called al-Shabab fought against them.

The U.S. declared al-Shabab a terrorist organisation in early 2008.

Officials had long suspected the group had ties to Al Qaeda, but it was not confirmed until 2010, when al-Shabab officially aligned itself with the terror group.

According to prosecutors, from September 2007, Mohamed and others conspired to raise money to send men to Somalia so they could oust the Ethiopians with violence.

Others were also recruited to the cause. The group held meetings at mosques and restaurants, and took measures to keep things secretive.

Read it all

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