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ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota man was among the Americans killed on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, which crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, according to family and friends.
They told FOX 9 Mucaad Hussein, also known as Siraaj Mu'aad, of St. Cloud was on his way to visit relatives in Kenya when the plane went down. In all, 157 victims were on that flight, including eight Americans.
Friends say Hussein was in his early 30s and had come to Minnesota in the 12th grade from Ethiopia. He became a U.S. citizen, graduated from Apollo High School in St. Cloud and then studied at both St. Cloud Technical College and St. Cloud State.
He apparently was very active in local politics, was an activist in the community and loved to play soccer.
Haji Yussuf was a longtime friend who last saw Hussein a few months ago. He says Hussein had many friends and was well-known.
“We used to play soccer together—very much involved in the youth soccer,” said Yussuf. “He was involved in a lot of different teams here in St. Cloud—youth programs. He was very visible in the community—very social, very outgoing—always smiling—always had a smile on his face.”
Hussein has several family members in St. Cloud. Due to the tragic circumstances, they did not want to comment. For GoFundMe information, click here.
FOX 9 has reached out to the State Department, but officials are not yet releasing names of the Americans killed on the flight.