MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO-CBS) – A Minneapolis man who allegedly expressed admiration for the truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people has been accused of trying to join the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Abdisatar Hassan, 22, made his first court appearance on a charge of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
A 34-page complaint details the extensive lengths Hassan went to get to Somalia and fight with ISIS from social media posts to failed attempts to fly there.
Hassan was born in Kenya and lived in Texas before moving to Minnesota in 2023.
The criminal complaint against Hassan details several social posts dating back to May up until last week. That’s when Investigators say Hassan posted a video of this knife on his lap.
On Wednesday, FBI agents say they observed Hassan driving while holding a black ISIS flag. He was arrested Thursday.
The charging documents also say police in New York notified the FBI last May that Hassan had made social media posts in support of the Somali group al-Shabab. An affidavit from an agent says investigators spotted al-Shabab and ISIS propaganda videos on his TikTok and Facebook accounts. It also alleges that he exchanged messages with a Facebook account that encourages Somali-speaking individuals to travel and fight on behalf of the Islamic State group.
FBI agents were watching when Hassan went to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Dec. 13, authorities say. He allegedly tried to check in for a flight to Somalia but left after an airline employee told him he lacked required travel documents.
He allegedly tried again on Dec. 29. Agents saw him board a flight to Chicago, where Customs and Border Protection officers interviewed him extensively before his scheduled flight to Ethiopia but did not detain him. He missed the flight and returned to Minneapolis, the affidavit says.
Hassan admitted in an interview that he started consuming ISIS propaganda after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Jaylani Hussein with the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota says the community has made tremendous strides to reverse radicalization in the state.
In 2016, nine Minnesota men were sentenced on federal charges of conspiring to join the Islamic State group.
“The community has made significant gains, and this almost becomes a non-issue in Minnesota when, 10 years ago, it was a significant concern,” Hussein said.
Hussein says the community has gained a lot of ground reversing radicalization, but the fight against radicalization is far from over.
“This is an important issue for our community. I just want to make sure Minnesotans know that we’ve made significant gains [and] those gains are the reason why we haven’t really heard of this type of case,” Hussein said.
Hassan is due back in court on Wednesday.
Comments