Minn. men who tried to join IS made threats

Published 10:03 am Friday, May 22, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS — One Minnesota man accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group told an informant he’d kill FBI agents if they tried to stop him, while another told friends he’d “spit on America” at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a document filed Thursday by prosecutors.

The document reveals new details about Mohamed Abdihamid Farah and Abdirahman Yasin Daud, both 21. They are among six Minnesota men arrested last month for conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Authorities have described the Minnesota men as friends in the state’s Somali community who recruited and inspired each other to join the Islamic State group. Authorities alleged some of the men made repeated attempts to get to Syria and developed a plot to get fake passports and travel overseas through Mexico.

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Daud and Farah were arrested last month in San Diego as authorities said they were attempting to make that trip. Daud has since been transferred to Minnesota; Farah is listed as being in federal custody in San Diego.

In the new court document, filed in advance of a detention hearing today for Daud, prosecutors argued Daud should stay in custody because he is a flight risk and a danger to the community. They said Daud conspired for at least a year to get to Syria along with others to fight and, in some cases die, for the Islamic State group.

Prosecutors alleged Daud went to extraordinary lengths to plan his travel, provided a photo and down-payment for a false passport and used his own vehicle to drive himself, Farah and an informant to San Diego.