Minn. grand jury indicts 2 in missing Somalis case

[July 14, 2009]  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Two men are accused of supporting terrorism in a grand jury indictment unsealed Monday, the first charges in an investigation into the disappearances of several young Somali men who activists believe were recruited from the Minneapolis area by radical elements in Somalia.

At least one of the men, Salah Osman Ahmed, traveled to Somalia to fight with Islamic militants, according to the indictment returned Feb. 19 but not unsealed until Monday. Ahmed and Abdifatah Yusuf Isse both are charged with providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim and injure. Ahmed also is charged with lying to investigators.

FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation.

In Minneapolis, home to the nation's largest concentration of Somali immigrants, as many as 20 young men -- including Ahmed and Isse -- are believed to have gone in the last 18 months to take part in the fighting in Somalia. Family members say at least three have died there.

Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, said family members believe Isse, Ahmed and others were "foot soldiers" and not involved in planning or recruiting.

Both men were in federal custody, according to Jamal, who said he had spoken with their families. Isse's age was not immediately available, but Jamal said he is younger than Ahmed, who is 26. He did not know if the men knew each other.

Jamal said both men went to Somalia but were able to "escape" and return to Minneapolis. Isse then moved to Seattle, Jamal said, but he has been in custody since authorities brought him back to Minneapolis in February. Family members believe he is cooperating, Jamal said. Isse's attorney didn't immediately return a call for comment.

Ahmed, of Brooklyn Park, was arrested Saturday and made his first appearance in U.S. District Court on Monday. A voicemail box for Ahmed's attorney, James Ostgard, was full but Ostgard told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after the hearing that Ahmed "will be pleading not guilty."

Jamal said the two indicted men may be considered lucky as other Minnesota families work to bring relatives home alive. Though short on details, the indictment is a relief for a community seeking answers about missing loved ones for months, he said.

Dozens of local Somalis have faced FBI questioning or been subpoenaed before a grand jury, leading to finger-pointing, fear and speculation in a community where many tribal alliances still run deep. Officials at a large Minneapolis mosque have repeatedly denied accusations by families of some of the missing men that the mosque played a role in their decision to leave.

"Now we know (Isse and Ahmed) are in jail and they are connected with the Somali missing boys from Minneapolis," Jamal said. "We hope these young boys will cooperate with authorities to find the masterminds of this recruitment."

The first two counts in the indictment cover alleged activity from September 2007 through December 2008.

Ahmed and Isse are accused of providing "material support, namely personnel including themselves" as part of a conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure "persons in a foreign country."

Ahmed also is accused of taking a flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam on Dec. 6, 2007, bound for Somalia, then lying about it when questioned by investigators in July and December 2008.

"He stated that he did not know anyone on his flight to Somalia in December 2007 when, in fact, he traveled to Somalia together with an individual he knew, so that they could fight jihad in Somalia," the indictment alleges.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then turned on each other, causing chaos in the African nation of 7 million. Islamic insurgents with alleged ties to al-Qaida recently intensified their efforts to capture the capital city, Mogadishu. Dozens have been killed and wounded in recent days.

The most recent Census figures estimate about 32,300 Somalis live in Minnesota, but local advocates say the number is much higher.

[Associated Press; By AMY FORLITI]

Associated Press writer Elizabeth Dunbar contributed to this report.

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