Somalis in Minnesota

September 15, 2009

Coverage of Minnesota's Somali community, and its struggles to settle here while overcoming negative attention from terrorism in their native Somalia, and discrimination here.

Local Somalis condemn suicide bombing in homeland
Even Somali-Americans hardened by the bloodshed of their homeland were sickened by the latest attack, a suicide bombing in Mogadishu on Dec. 3. On Sunday, about 100 people rallied in Minneapolis to condemn the violence and pray for the victims' families.December 13, 2009
Missing Somali men: What's next in the investigation?
Federal authorities say they've reached the "tipping point" in an investigation into the departures of about 20 young Twin Cities men who left for their native Somalia, allegedly to fight with a terrorist group.November 24, 2009
Charges against 8 in missing Somali case unsealed
Charges against eight people involved in the long-running probe of young men who left the United States to fight in Somalia were unsealed in Minnesota on Monday.November 23, 2009
Feds indict Minn. Somali on conspiracy charges
Federal authorities say a massive investigation into the disappearances of about 20 young Somali men from Minnesota has taken a significant step forward with a seventh arrest in the case.November 19, 2009
Somali leaders want better witness protection
A recent fatal shooting in Minneapolis has some members of the Twin Cities Somali-American community saying police and prosecutors need to do a better job of protecting witnesses to violent crimes.November 16, 2009
Minneapolis imam pleased to be off no-fly list
The imam of a Minneapolis mosque that has been associated with the disappearances of nearly 20 Somali men is relieved to be off of the government's no-fly list after being banned from air travel a year ago.November 11, 2009
Arrest by Dutch officials tied to missing Minnesota men
The FBI has confirmed that a recent arrest by Dutch officials is related to the investigation of about 20 Minnesota men who are thought to have traveled to Somalia to fight.November 10, 2009
More details emerge in Minn. men's road trip case
The Nevada Highway Patrol today released the name of a third passenger involved in a cross-country road trip that has gotten the attention of federal agents investigating whether Minnesota men traveled to Somalia to fight in that country's ongoing conflict.October 20, 2009
Indictment brings new worries that more Somali-American men are leaving to fight
Allegations that a 26-year-old Chanhassen man lied about a cross-country road trip with a group of friends last week have made some Somali-Americans worry that even more young Minnesota men are still trying to join the escalating warfare in their homeland.October 14, 2009
In Minneapolis, Somali president asks for help
The president of Somalia is calling on the nation's largest community of Somali-Americans to help him fight extremism and rally behind his fragile government.October 5, 2009
Somali president: Recruiters likely still in U.S.
In an interview with MPR, President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed expressed sympathy for the Minnesota men lured back to fight in their homeland.October 3, 2009
Sixth Minn. man reportedly dies in Somalia
A sixth Minnesota man is feared dead in Somalia after joining an Islamic extremist group there. But Troy Kastigar stood out from his fellow recruits, because the Minneapolis man was not Somali.September 11, 2009
Fifth Minn. man dies in Somalia
A fifth Somali-American man from Minnesota was killed in his East African homeland, according to family members.September 5, 2009
Patriotism may have drawn Minnesotans to Somalia
Some Somali-Americans in Minnesota are questioning the U.S. government's punishment of what some considered a patriotic pull of the homeland.August 27, 2009
Somali-American professors angered over repeated searches
Two Somali-American scholars at the University of Minnesota say they're outraged by what they consider invasive questioning and searches while traveling abroad this summer.August 24, 2009
Third man pleads guilty in Somali investigation
A man has admitted to lying to the FBI in its investigation of Americans fighting in Somalia. It's the third guilty plea in the case.August 12, 2009
Group launches legal resource for local Somalis
A Minnesota legal-aid group has launched a Somali-language Web site.August 12, 2009
FBI raids Minneapolis travel agency in connection with terror probe
FBI agents raided a Minneapolis travel agency earlier this week in connection with a broader investigation into the disappearances of about 20 Somali-American men.August 7, 2009
Editor of popular Somali news Web site attacked in Minneapolis
The editor of a popular news Web site for young Somalis around the world was attacked last night in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis.August 5, 2009
Minneapolis mosque opening private Islamic school
Minnesota's largest mosque is opening a private Islamic school this fall, the second of its kind in the state.August 3, 2009
FBI searches Rochester homes in Somali probe
Earlier this month, FBI agents raided the apartments of two Rochester women, investigating whether they were sending supplies to insurgents in Somalia. The woman say they were collecting used clothing to send to poor people in their native country.July 31, 2009
Somali man pleads guilty to terrorism charge
Salah Osman Ahmed pleaded guilty this afternoon to charges related to Americans traveling to Somalia to fight with Islamic militants.July 28, 2009
U.S. extends protected status for Somali nationals
Somali nationals living in the U.S. under temporary protected status are eligible to remain in the country for an additional 18 months.July 28, 2009
Rep. Ellison says U.S. trying to ensure safe return of missing Somalis
Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison said the U.S. government is trying to ensure the safe return of some of the young Somali-American men believed to be fighting with a terrorist group in their homeland.July 17, 2009
Man killed in Somalia may have recruited others to the cause
One of the two Somali-American men from Minnesota reportedly killed over the weekend in Mogadishu apparently played a role in recruiting others to fight in his homeland.July 13, 2009
FBI confirms link between terror indictments, missing Somalis
A federal grand jury has indicted two men on terrorism charges in connection with the ongoing investigation of about 20 missing Somali-American men from the Twin Cities.July 14, 2009
Two more missing Somalis reported killed
Two more Somali men from Minneapolis were reportedly killed in Mogadishu over the weekend.July 12, 2009
Speech may provide clues to missing Somalis' motivation
A fiery speech given by a visiting Somali opposition leader in Minneapolis may provide some clues as to what motivated some Somali-American men to take up arms in their homeland.July 8, 2009
Somali activist tried to stop missing boys from traveling
Months before two Somali teenage boys left the Twin Cities for Somalia, one woman says she tried to stop their departures.June 16, 2009
Family, friends demand justice for slain Somali murder victims
Relatives and supporters of a slain Augsburg College student protested at Minneapolis City Hall Friday, demanding justice from both police and fellow Somalis in eight unresolved slayings of young Somali men.June 12, 2009
Family, friends offer differing accounts on how Minneapolis teen died in Somalia
Conflicting accounts emerged Monday over how Burhan Hassan, a Minneapolis teenager who allegedly went to Somalia to fight with an Islamic terrorist group, was killed in his homeland.June 8, 2009
Missing Somali teen reportedly killed in Mogadishu
Family members of a young Minneapolis man killed in Somalia are calling on the federal government to arrange for his body to be brought back to Minnesota.June 7, 2009
Charges dropped in shooting of Augsburg student
A teenager charged with fatally shooting a Somali-American college student in Minneapolis eight months ago has been released from jail. The student's family says the case was dismissed because key witnesses were not willing to testify.June 2, 2009
Young Somali men escape homeland, but not violence
Since December 2007, eight Somali men, all 30 and under, have been killed in the Twin Cities. The deaths represent a tragic irony for a community that escaped the bloodshed and clan warfare of its home country.May 29, 2009
Somali students from Augsburg College refused visas by Egyptian government
The Egyptian government has refused to let two Somali students from Augsburg College in Minneapolis travel to Egypt for a study-abroad program. The students were scheduled to leave for Cairo last Sunday, but Egyptian officials declined to grant them their tourist visas.May 21, 2009
FBI, Twin Cities Somalis hope to rebuild relationship
The head of the Minneapolis FBI office is asking for the Somali community's trust as investigators continue to look into the disappearances of a number of young Twin Cities men who are believed to be fighting along with hard-line Islamists in Somalia's civil war.May 19, 2009
Event hopes to demystify local Somali community
A coalition of Somali-American organizations will host an event tomorrow at the Minneapolis Convention Center in response to the barrage of bad news about their community.May 8, 2009
A gym of their own: Somali girls learn basketball
In a locked gym on Sunday afternoons in Minneapolis, Somali girls and women are getting together to play basketball. There are no fans or spectators, and they wouldn't have it any other way.March 19, 2009
Mosque leader wants to reconcile with families of missing Somalis
The spiritual leader of Minnesota's largest mosque has been a reluctant newsmaker. Five months after he learned he was on the U.S. government's terrorism watch list, he has agreed to tell his story to MPR News.May 7, 2009
When Somalis are in the news, so is Omar Jamal
Somali community activist Omar Jamal is in the news again, this time for finding a lawyer for a Somali pirate. Jamal has made a comeback following his own high-profile problems with the law, but he remains controversial.April 24, 2009
Phone calls from missing Somalis send mixed messages
When the first group of young Somali men disappeared from Minneapolis back in 2007, they weren't on the FBI's radar yet. In phone calls back to their Minnesota friends, they appeared homesick and disillusioned.April 15, 2009
Somalis in Minnesota react to barrage of bad news
Somalia has been dominating the headlines in recent weeks, with various news stories in Minnesota and around the world focusing on events related to that African country. Somalis in Minnesota are reacting in various ways to the avalanche of publicity about their homeland.April 10, 2009
'Hawalas' provide lifeline to impoverished Somalia
Business was quiet Thursday at one Minneapolis money-transfer business, a day after FBI agents raided the business along with two othersApril 9, 2009
"American" calls for Somali action in extremist recruiting video
A new video by a group of Islamic extremists in Somalia uses hip-hop music -- and what appears to be a white American fighter -- to urge Muslims around the world to fight in a holy war in the Horn of Africa.April 3, 2009
Relatives of missing Somali men use homeland ties in search
Families of some of the young Somali-American men who are thought to be fighting with Islamic extremists in the Horn of Africa are trying their own methods to bring them safely home. They've turned to friends in the new Somali government and U.S. officials at neighboring embassies to help.March 30, 2009
Grand jury looks into missing Somali men
The investigation into about a dozen Somali-American men missing from Minnesota has reached the level of a federal grand jury investigation. A number of men from the Twin Cities are believed to have gone back to Somalia to fight along with a terrorist group.March 23, 2009
Online tools may have been used to recruit young Somalis
A new study warns about the threat of Islamist radicalization and says online chat rooms are gaining strength. The report sheds some light on how recruiters could lure Americans to fight in a holy war.March 6, 2009
Missing Somali men may have romanticized their homeland
Young Somali-Americans try to make sense of the disappearances of about a dozen men from the Twin Cities.March 2, 2009
Mosque opens doors to help dispel rumors
Leaders of a Minneapolis mosque have been vigorously fighting accusations linking them to a number of missing Twin Cities men -- men that some believe have returned to Somalia to fight in that country's civil war. Last night they took a different approach by hosting an open house at the mosque.February 26, 2009
Somalis worried after suicide bomber details emerge
FBI director Robert Mueller this week said a Minneapolis man could be the first U.S. citizen to carry out a suicide bombing overseas.February 24, 2009
Minneapolis man may have carried out suicide bombing
FBI Director Robert Mueller confirmed Monday that a Minneapolis man in October may have been the first U.S. citizen to carry out a terrorist suicide bombing overseas.February 24, 2009
Rights groups say Somalis being stopped, questioned
Ever since news broke a few months ago on the disappearances of young Somali men from the Twin Cities, local Somali residents say federal investigators have been randomly stopping people to ask them questions at malls, college campuses, and the airport. One civil-rights group representing Muslims in the U.S. has compared the questioning to a fishing expedition.February 13, 2009
Mosque leaders deny they recruited youth to fight
Leaders and friends of a Minneapolis mosque deny connection to the recent disappearances of young Somali men from the Twin Cities.February 10, 2009
Alleged links to Somalia fighting divide Minnesota community
Recent claims that young men have left Minnesota to fight in East Africa are deepening divisions in the Twin Cities Somali community.December 9, 2008
Homeland Security to meet with Somali community leaders
Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are visiting Minneapolis this week. The agency says it wants to build better relationships with the area's Somali community, which has been shaken by the recent disappearances of young men.February 4, 2009