A 38-year-old Minneapolis man was charged Wednesday with fatally stabbing his roommate in the neck with a large knife.

According to the complaint, police went to the apartment in the 500 block of Cedar Avenue S. about 10:30 p.m. Monday, where they found Abdurahman M. Warfa, 27, dead from a stab wound. Abdirahim Mahamed Jama, who is charged with two counts of murder, was also in the apartment, had blood all over his clothing and told officers, "He attacked me and I stabbed him."

Jama later told police he had asked Warfa to turn down the radio, but Warfa began hitting him. Jama said he had been using the knife to eat a plate of goat, and when he made a motion to deflect the punches, he stabbed Warfa. Jama said they were the only ones in the apartment.

But, according to the complaint, witnesses interviewed by police told a different story. One man said he was one of four people drinking inside the apartment when Warfa and Jama got into an argument about Warfa's girlfriend and Jama grabbed a knife from the kitchen sink and stabbed Warfa. Another man gave a similar account about the two arguing and then Jama stabbing Warfa.

Jama has been described by witnesses as a former Somali militia soldier who saw years of fighting before emigrating to the United States. He was being held in the Hennepin County jail Wednesday night.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495