FBI director raises Minneapolis terror connection

Posted at 10:02 PM on February 23, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice

The head of the FBI says a Minnesota Somali man, who blew himself up in Somalia last year, was "radicalized" in Minnesota.

"A man from Minneapolis became what we believe to be the first U.S. citizen to carry out a terrorist suicide bombing," Robert Mueller said of Shirwa Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen.

According to ABC News, Mueller did not say who or how the Minneapolis man was recruited.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have confirmed to ABC News that some of the individuals who have fought in Somalia have returned to the United States. The FBI has looked at possible cases in Minneapolis; Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Seattle; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.

In a question and answer session moderated by ABC News' Terry Moran after his speech, Mueller said about Ahmed, "We believe he was recruited here in the United States and that others may have been radicalized."

Mueller said cities like Minneapolis are at risk because of failed third-world states. "World politics often shape terrorist and criminal threats against the United States... A crisis in the Horn of Africa may well have a ripple effect in Minneapolis," he said.

"It raises the question of whether these young men will one day come home, and, if so, what might they undertake here," Mueller said.

Up to two dozen Somali men have disappeared from the Minneapolis area.

Comments (1)

I understand why this story is getting so much media coverage. However, a few years ago, I worked with a community program where a number of the kids we served were from Somali families. I wish that there was as much coverage given to the Somali members of our community that are kind, hardworking, generous, and truly seeking to give back and serve others.
I would love to see more coverage that breaks down the stereotypes we have of the cultural communities in our midst: Somali, Palestinian, Mexican, etc. (This list could go on for quite some time.)
I'm a life long Scandanavian Minnesotan and over the last few years, it seems that the only form of discrimination that a growing number of people will accept or ignore is that against Muslims and those from countries we associate with terror. My fear is not that the Somali community here will bring some sort of destruction upon Minneapolis. My fear is that as people continue to play into the fears many in the general public have of those we associate with our 'war on terror" that the discrimination that I've already seen will only increase and become more widely accepted.

Posted by Jennifer B | February 24, 2009 11:33 AM

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