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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Judge Won’t Drop Tweeted Threat Charges

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) - A federal judge refused to drop charges against a man indicted on suspicion of tweeting threats to kill a federal judge and FBI agents.

Federal prosecutors charged Khaalid Adam Abdulkadir last month on counts of threatening to murder a federal judge and federal law enforcement officers and a charge of interstate transmission of a threat to injure the person of another.

Prosecutors say that this past December, Abdulkadir sent two tweets from his Twitter account following the arrest of Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame on charges of trying to join the Islamic State.

Abdulkadir tweeted, "More brother get lock up the cops body they will find on the floor body's dropping fast #kill them FBI and fuck as judge" and "Fuck them F.B.I. I'm kill them FEDS for take my brothers," according to the 11-page order by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier.

While Abdulkadir had argued the charges against him should be dismissed because the indictment did not state a specific crime and involved his free speech rights, Schreier said authorities had described enough essential facts for the indictment to stand. Furthermore, she said First Amendment rights are not absolute and "speech that constitutes a true threat is not afforded First Amendment protection."

The judge did, however, order prosecutors to file a bill of particulars detailing who was allegedly threatened by Abdulkadir.

Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO reported that Abdulkadir had been under FBI surveillance for more than a year prior to his arrest and his social media conversations were being monitored. The station also said that when terror suspects were extradited from California in May 2015, Abdulkadir was among a group of people videotaping a federal marshal.

Abdulkadir is currently at the Sherburne County Jail awaiting trial, which is set to begin March 8.

On Feb. 12, Warsame pleaded guilty to providing material support to ISIL. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

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