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US citizen charged with providing material support to ISIS

Harafa Hussein Abdi, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen from Minneapolis.

By Amina Wako | Saturday, February 17, 2024

Abdi was detained by ISIS in 2017 after leaving the group but managed to escape, eventually getting arrested by law enforcement authorities.

Harafa Hussein Abdi, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen from Minneapolis, has been charged with providing material support to ISIS and undergoing military-type training at an ISIS fighter camp in Somalia, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Abdi, who was extradited back to the U.S. and is set to appear before a federal judge in Manhattan, allegedly left Minnesota in 2015 to join ISIS fighters in a training camp located in the Puntland region of Somalia.

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U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York emphasised the severity of the charges, stating, "While training with ISIS fighters in Somalia, Abdi allegedly carried an AK-47, threatened to attack civilians in New York City, and encouraged others to carry out such attacks."

The DOJ revealed that Abdi had publicly expressed his allegiance to the Islamic State through social media posts, where he mentioned joining the group for "hijra," an Arabic term indicating leaving one's country to support ISIS for the purpose of jihad.

Authorities also highlighted that Abdi had shared a photo of himself carrying an AK-47 in the desert, showcasing his commitment to the terrorist organisation.

Abdi is also accused of filming pro-ISIS propaganda for the group's media wing and disseminating threatening messages.

In January 2017, he allegedly sent an audio file to at least 20 individuals with rap lyrics glorifying violence, stating, "Fly through America on our way to shoot New York up."

Abdi was detained by ISIS in 2017 after leaving the group but managed to escape, eventually getting arrested by law enforcement authorities.

During his time with the FBI, he admitted his affiliation, identifying himself in an ISIS propaganda video where he expressed gratitude for being chosen as a soldier and urged others to join the cause.

Abdi was born in Somalia in 1982, entered the United States in 1999, and became a naturalised U.S. citizen in 2006, authorities said.

He is charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation and conspiring to receive military-type training from a terrorist organisation. The most serious charges carry a potential prison term of 20 years.