Day Two: More Twin Cities Men Sentenced for Helping ISIS, Get Tougher Punishments for Lack of Cooperation

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Six of nine defendants expected to be sentenced this week for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS have now been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The most recent three received tougher sentences because they failed to cooperate with authorities.

Hamza Ahmed, 21, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison. Adnan Farah, 20, was sentenced to
10 years in prison. Hanad Musse, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“This was a jihadi cell,” U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis told the courtroom Tuesday, according to KSTP. “Everyone talks about Brussels or Paris having a cell; we have a cell in Minneapolis.”

“Today's sentences reflect the seriousness of these defendant's crimes,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a statement.

“Although all three defendants pleaded guilty before trial, none were willing to cooperate with the
United States. ISIL continues to target Minnesota's Somali community. Only by working together
will we succeed in ending this threat.”

“The sentences handed down today reflect the true gravity of the defendants' crimes to betray their
country, travel overseas, and ultimately join a terrorist organization dedicated to the murder of
innocent people,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge for the Minneapolis Division Richard T.
Thornton.

“We hope these sentences will serve as a strong message that those who support terrorism will face justice. The FBI, through our Joint Terrorism Task Force, remains dedicated to working with our community partners to disrupt threats posed by ISIL and their supporters.”

According to his guilty plea, in May 2014, Ahmed applied for and later received federal financial
aid, which he claimed would be used to attend Minnesota Community and Technical College. Instead, Ahmed used that money to purchase a Greyhound bus ticket from Minneapolis to New
York City, and airfare from New York that he thought would enable him to travel to Syria to join
ISIL. He was stopped at JFK International Airport by federal agents. Ahmed pleaded guilty on
April 25, 2016.

According to his guilty plea, Farah participated in the conspiracy throughout 2014 and early
2015 in various capacities, including attempting to obtain a real passport to travel to Syria to join
ISIS.

When that effort failed, Farah provided money and a photograph in an attempt to obtain
a false passport so that he could travel to Syria to join ISIS. Farah also aided Musse in his
effort to obtain a false passport.

Farah pleaded guilty on April 14, 2016.

According to his guilty plea, in November 2014, Musse traveled by Greyhound bus from
Minneapolis to New York City where he joined three of his co-conspirators at JFK International
Airport. While at JFK, Musse purchased round-trip airfare to Athens, Greece, with the intention
of traveling onward to Syria to join ISIS. He was stopped at JFK International Airport by federal
agents. Musse pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2015.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by members of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism
Task Force (JTTF). The JTTF includes members from the following departments: the United
States Marshals Service, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Bloomington Police
Department, St. Paul Police Department, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Hennepin County
Sheriff’s Office, Federal Air Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, Department of
Defense, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Minneapolis Police Department, Burnsville
Police Department, Department of State, the Airport Police, Criminal Investigation Division of the
IRS, and the FBI.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Winter, John Docherty and Julie
Allyn, with assistance from the Department of Justice National Security Division’s
Counterterrorism Section.

Image via Sherburne County Jail