A Minnesota man named Hassan has admitted to trying to join the Islamic State group, pleading guilty on Monday to charges of attempting to support a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, changed his plea to guilty during an appearance before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul.
Hassan was charged in February after showing support on social media for a January 1 truck attacker in New Orleans, whose assault resulted in 14 fatalities. The attacker was fatally shot by police, and their truck displayed the Islamic State’s flag.
Prosecutors revealed Hassan made two unsuccessful attempts in December to fly from Minnesota to Somalia to join the group’s fight. The FBI had prior knowledge of a social media user backing both the Islamic State and Somali militant group al-Shabab, leading to surveillance on Hassan’s efforts.
On his first attempt to reach Somalia, airline officials denied Hassan boarding for lacking the needed travel documents, as per court records. During his second attempt, he missed the flight while being questioned by federal officers. He remained free until his arrest in February.
The FBI said it observed Hassan driving with the group’s flag the day before his arrest.
“Terrorism leaves no room for error,” remarked Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. “Hassan displayed ISIS symbols, endorsed domestic attacks, and sought to harm Americans. We refuse to allow Minnesota to become a terrorist sanctuary.”
Hassan, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, is still in custody without a set sentencing date. As part of a plea deal, the prosecution agreed to a maximum sentence of 17 years, while the defense can propose any term, subject to the judge’s decision.
A New York man accused of plotting an attack on behalf of the Islamic State group in 2019 was sentenced last week to nine years in prison.
Hassan was the latest of several Minnesotans suspected of leaving or trying to leave the U.S. to join the Islamic State group in recent years, along with thousands of fighters from other countries. In 2016 nine Minnesotans were sentenced on charges of conspiring to join the group, and one who actually fought for the group in Iraq was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison.
