Nearly three years ago, a Minneapolis man blew himself up oceans away in Somalia.
His death put Minnesota at the heart of a still unfolding multinational counterterrorism probe that has seen 20 Minnesotans indicted on terror-related charges, at least another nine killed in fighting overseas and a handful more arrested and convicted. Others have been charged with fundraising or wiring money to a terror group in Somalia, and one of the men charged is scheduled to go on trial next month -- a first in the case.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder visited Minneapolis last month to reaffirm his office's commitment to rooting out those responsible for the recruiting of young Somali-Americans to return to Africa to fight for the terrorist group Al-Shabab.
Yet investigators appear no closer to unmasking a leader of the nebulous network that found foot soldiers in the Twin Cities.
The FBI's failure so far to publicly uncover a mastermind has spawned disillusionment among some in the local Somali community who wonder when, if ever, justice will be served.
"They know the big recruiters. The government knows everything," said Abdirizak Bihi, whose teenage nephew is believed to have been killed in Somalia in 2009 after joining Al-Shabab, which U.S. officials say is affiliated with Al-Qaida.
"Someone organized this group," said Dr. Abdirahman D. Mohamed, a local physician and community leader. "The fact that we can't find those key individuals two years-plus, that has created a lot of people saying, 'What's going on here?'"
A 'flatter' organization