Man who allegedly joined ISIS, threatened NYC attack was MN native
Judge gavel, scales of justice and law books in court. (Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel) (Getty Images)
NEW YORK (FOX 9) - A man originally from Minneapolis moved to Somalia to join ISIS, and allegedly threatened to attack New York City.
According to a press release sent by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, Harafa Hussein Abdi, 41, is charged with one count of conspiring to provide and one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Abdi is also charged with one count of conspiring to receive and one count of receiving military training from a designated foreign terrorist group.
In 2015, Abdi moved from Minnesota to Somalia to allegedly join ISIS, the DOJ said. Abdi joined a group of fighters at an ISIS training camp in the Puntland region of Somalia. While with the group, he was trained to use an AK-47 assault rifle.
According to the DOJ, along with his weapons training, Abdi worked in ISIS’s "media" wing. There he allegedly made content for a pro-ISIS media outlet.
Abdi allegedly posted on social media about how he left the U.S. and joined the "Islamic state." He also reportedly said he made a "hijra", which according to the DOJ is "an Arabic term used by ISIS supporters to refer to traveling overseas to join ISIS and engage in jihad." Abdi also sent a photo of himself carrying an AK-47.
The DOJ says in January 2017, Abdi sent rap lyrics where he showed his support for ISIS and mentioned acts of violence.
According to the DOJ, the rap lyrics allegedly were, "hollow tips put a hole in your Catholic vest, and chop his head off let it rest on his Catholic chest." Abdi continued in the lyrics, "We going to carry on jihad"; "Fly through America on our way to shoot New York up. They trying to shut this thing. We ain’t going. We going to come blow New York up."
Abdi sent the lyrics to at least 20 other people on social media, and included messages like "Fighting back the kuffar who’s at war with Muslims if [that] is not islam then I don’t know wats Islam," the DOJ said.
Abdi left the ISIS camp in 2017 after his relationship with leaders worsened, the DOJ said. He was jailed by ISIS but escaped to East Africa where he was arrested by law enforcement.
According to the DOJ, Abdi admitted to being at the training camp in the Puntland region, and identified himself in an ISIS propaganda video. He also reportedly admitted that he was trained and carried an AK-47 while at the ISIS camp.
Abdi has a court appearance Friday in New York City.