ST. LOUIS (CN) - Three men have been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization. Mohamud Abdi Yusuf was arrested Monday in St. Louis; Abdi Mahdi Hussein was arrested Tuesday in Minneapolis. Duane Mohamed Diriye is believed to be at large in Kenya or Somalia. The arrests and unsealing of the indictment came hard upon similar action this week in San Diego.
In the Midwest, the three men are accused of conspiring to send money, and sending money, to al-Shabaab, a Somali militia that the State Department designated a terrorist organization in 2008. Al-Shabaab, or "The Youth," wants to overthrow the Somali government and replace it with Shari'a law.
Yusuf also is charged with conspiring with Hussein to structure financial transactions and to avoid record keeping requirements.
Yusuf faces four charges of providing material support to a designated terrorist organization and one charge of conspiracy to structure financial transactions. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each material support charge and 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for the conspiracy charge.
Huessein faces one charge of conspiracy to structure financial transactions. If convicted, he faces 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Diriye was charged with one felony count each of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Here is Courthouse News Wednesday (Nov. 3) story on the arrests and indictment in San Diego.
3 San Diegans Face Terror Charges
SAN DIEGO (CN) - Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing three San Diego resident of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Prosecutors say Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud aka Mohamed Khadar and Issa Doreh conspired to send money to al-Shabaab, a Somali militia designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.
Moalin was arrested at the San Diego International Airport on Oct. 31. Mohamud and Doreh were arrested the next day in San Diego.
In announcing the arrests, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that in late 2007 and 2008: "Moalin was in direct telephone contact with Aden Hashi Ayrow, who was a prominent military leader of al-Shabaab. Ayrow requested money from Moalin, who then coordinated the fund-raising efforts and money transfers with Mohamud and Doreh. According to the indictment, Moalin also provided a house in Somalia, knowing the house would be used in preparation for, and to carry out, a conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country. The indictment alleges that, after Ayrow's death on May 1, 2008, the conspirators continued to transfer money from San Diego to Somalia to fund terrorist activities."
Moalin, 33, Mohamud, 38, and Doreh, 54, could face up to life in prison if convicted.
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