A man from Minnesota who stands accused of plotting to join ISIS pleaded guilty of Thursday to conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group.
Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, aged 20, of the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, is the 10th Minnesota man charged in an investigation into recruiting and support for the militant group among the Minneapolis-St. Paul Somali community.
A press release said: Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger of the District of Minnesota and Special Agent in Charge Richard T. Thornton of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division made the announcement.
“With his guilty plea, Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame has admitted to conspiring to provide material support to ISIL,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.”
“Warsame was part of a group of individuals who sought to travel to Syria to fight with the designated foreign terrorist organization. The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism, and we will continue to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters abroad and hold accountable those who conspire to provide material support to terrorists.”
According to the defendant’s guilty plea, throughout early 2014, Warsame participated in several meetings with a group of individuals who wished to travel to Syria to join ISIL.
Warsame and his co-conspirators discussed means of funding travel to Syria and potential routes from Minnesota to Syria that would best elude law enforcement. In April 2014, Warsame applied for an expedited passport with the intent of using the passport to travel overseas to join ISIL and in that same month, provided approximately $200 to co-conspirator Adnan Farah for fees associated with Farah’s expedited passport application. Warsame knew Farah planned to use the passport to travel to Syria to join ISIL.
Warsame faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced at a later date.
