WASHINGTON // Top counterterrorism officials are investigating several cases of young Somali-Americans apparently recruited from the United States to join an Islamist group in Somalia that has links to al Qa'eda.
At a hearing on Capitol Hill this week, Philip Mudd, associate director of the FBI's national security branch, said he believed the recruitment of young men - many from the state of Minnesota - to the radical al Shabaab militant group has involved "tens" of people.
The number "sounds small but it's significant," he told the Senate homeland security committee. "Every terrorist is someone who can potentially throw a grenade into a shopping mall."
But Mr Mudd stressed it is unclear what kind of threat the US recruits may pose to the United States or whether they intend to return to carry out a terror attack.
Among the men believed to have been recruited from the Minneapolis area is Shirwa Ahmed, a 27-year-old college student who killed himself and over 30 other people in a suicide blast in Somalia last year, counterterrorism officials said. Since then, several other young Minnesotans have suddenly disappeared and resurfaced in Somalia, often to the shock of their immigrant families.
Another is Burhan Hassan, 17, an "A" high school student who was taking college-level classes and had ambitions of going to Harvard University, according to Burhan's uncle, Osman Ahmed, who testified at the hearing on Wednesday.
"The Somali-American kids were not troubled kids or gangs. They were the hope of the Somali-American community," Mr Ahmed said, adding that his family was "stunned" when Burhan disappeared last November.
"That, to us, sounded strange," he said.
The FBI is investigating similar cases in San Diego, Boston, Seattle, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Maine.
Al Shabaab has been listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation since last year. The group, which controls parts of Somalia from the Kenyan border to the outskirts of Mogadishu, rose to prominence fighting Ethiopian forces that invaded Somalia in 2006. It has since been involved in attacks on African Union peacekeepers and foreign aid workers, experts said, though some speculate its power may diminish following the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops in January.
Terrorism experts said al Shabaab has proven ties with al Qa'eda, including sheltering those responsible for the attacks on US embassies, and many believe the Somali group will eventually merge with the worldwide terrorism network. Last month, Ayman al Zawahiri, second in command of al Qa'eda, said the gains made by al Shabaab were a "step on the path of victory of Islam".
Still, whatever links exists between al Shabaab and al Qa'eda to this point are for propaganda purposes, experts at the Senate hearing said. The groups do not share operational ties and may not even have the same goals. Al Shabaab's is seen as having primarily nationalistic aims that are much narrower than Osama bin Laden's "global jihad".
Officials said it is not clear why well-educated Somali-Americans would suddenly head to the Horn of Africa to join al Shabaab. Andrew Liepman, deputy director of Intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center, cited a particularly tough road for young Somali-Americans adapting to life in the United States, where they face "linguistic isolation" and are often forced into low-paying and unfulfilling jobs.
"Among Somali-Americans, the refugee experience of fleeing a war-torn country combined with isolation, perceived discrimination, marginalisation and frustrated expectations, as well local criminal familial and clan dynamics, make some men from this community more susceptible to this sort of extremist influence," he said.
Mr Liepman and Mr Mudd agreed that some sort of role model or "spiritual sanctioner" played a part in radicalising these young men, though no one has been identified and it is unclear where such an influence came from. Authorities have questioned the leaders of some mosques in the Somali community of Minneapolis. The two experts said looking at extremist websites could play a part, but this alone would not turn a normal citizen into a jihadist. "It is the result of a number of factors that come together when a dynamic, influential, extremist leader gains access to a despondent disenfranchised group of young men," Mr Liepman said.
There have been only a few known cases of American civilians turning up on foreign battlefields. John Walker Lindh, a 20-year old from California, was discovered in 2001 among ranks of the Taliban. Three Ohio men were convicted last year for plotting to kill US soldiers in Iraq, though they never made it there. Experts said the conditions for home-grown terrorism are far worse in Europe, where millions of young and disenfranchised immigrants live on the fringes of society.
Still, the recent alleged recruitments by al Shabaab has caught the attention of several US senators. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut and chair of the homeland security committee, said it is "the most significant case of home-grown terrorism recruiting, based on violent Islamist ideology". "The problem, though it may be less severe here in America, is here, and that is what I think is jarring," Mr Lieberman said.
Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, said foreign-trained extremists holding US passports "clearly pose a threat to the security of our country".
Shirwa Ahmed, the suicide bomber, was a naturalised US citizen who moved to Minneapolis in 1996. When news spread that he was involved in co-ordinated blasts about 800km north of Mogadishu, people who knew him were "shocked and angry", said Abdirahman Mukhtar, a former classmate of Ahmed's and a youth programme manager in Minneapolis.
"It goes against Somali culture and it is also inherently anti-Islamic," Mr Mukhtar said in his testimony, adding that he has not met any recruiters in his Minneapolis community. "Somalis are not convinced that it happened because the idea seems too far out of people's comprehension."
sstanek@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UK%20record%20temperature
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Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The%20specs
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Company%20Profile
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Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Gulf Under 19s
Pools
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors
B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy
C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy
D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College
2017 – British School Al Khubairat
2016 – Dubai English Speaking School
2015 – Al Ain Amblers
2014 – Dubai College
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
More from our neighbourhood series:
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
