Former Minnesotan pleads not guilty in Al-Shabab case

Updated: July 21, 2011 - 11:23 PM

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A former Eden Prairie man who was arrested last month in Columbus, Ohio, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to providing support to terrorists at a hearing in federal court in Minneapolis.

Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, 26, was freed from jail and ordered to a Twin Cities halfway house while awaiting trial. He would like to return to Ohio, where he has a child about to be born, his lawyer said.

His family and friends say they still don't know what he is accused of doing. Neither his lawyer nor officials with the U.S. attorney's office would say. The sparsely worded federal indictment filed last month says only that Mahamud conspired with others to support Al-Shabab, a terror group with ties to Al-Qaida.

He is the 20th person of Somali descent charged in Minnesota with supporting terrorism.

Friends in the courtroom Thursday said Mahamud is a "good man" who has never gotten into trouble and added they are increasingly concerned with how others view the Somali community in light of these cases.

"We came here seeking opportunity. We didn't come here seeking prison," said Abdinasir Abdi, who said he has been a friend of Mahamud's for many years.

Added Mahamed Cali, executive director of Somali American Community: "We're trying to make sure our government comes to our community to talk to our community. We want to prevent anything before it happens. We have a lot of good citizens."

JAMES WALSH