Minnesota man charged for aiding ISIS, threatening attack on New York

A Minnesota man was charged Friday with providing support to and conspiring with ISIS and threatening to attack New York City. Announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ)..

According to the Department of Justice, American citizen Khalifa Hussein Abdi, 41, of Minneapolis, was recently detained overseas and extradited to the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement that Mr. Abdi joined ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, as a fighter and committed the United States to actively supporting the group’s “propaganda efforts to spread its despicable ideology.” He said he left.

“For the National Security Agency, there is no higher priority than protecting the American people from terrorist organizations, and we seek to find and hold accountable those who join terrorist organizations and seek to harm our people, wherever they may be,” Olsen said in a statement. We will continue to work tirelessly to pursue this goal.”

Abdi immigrated to Somalia from Minneapolis in 2015. He joined the ISIS media team and filmed footage distributed by “pro-ISIS media.” He was trained in how to use an AK-47.

In 2017, he commented, “I’m going to fly across America to destroy New York.” They are trying to contain this problem. I do not go. We’re going to blow up New York. He is also suspected of sending social media messages about the violence in Manhattan, the Justice Department said.

Abdi’s relationship with ISIS leaders soured, and East African authorities later arrested him.

The Justice Department has charged Abdi with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The agency also charged Abdi with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to receive military training from a terrorist organization, and receiving military training from a terrorist organization.

Mr. Abdi appeared before a federal judge in Manhattan federal court on Friday. He was born in Somalia in 1982, came to the United States in 1999 and became a naturalized citizen in 2006, according to the Associated Press.