Eden Prairie grad funded terror group in Somalia

An Eden Prairie High School graduate pleaded guilty Monday to providing material support to Al-Shabab, a Somali group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, 27, now living in Westerville, Ohio, admitted to raising up to $1,500 under false pretenses to help send Al-Shabab recruits from the Twin Cities to Somalia. He also admitted that he and two co-conspirators wired $200 of those funds to Somalia so someone he knew there could buy guns.

Mahamud, a Somali native and naturalized U.S. citizen, faces up to 15 years for his role in the conspiracy when he is sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis.

Mahamud admitted to raising money in the summer of 2008 by telling people it would be used for a local mosque and to support orphans in Somalia. He said that he knew the money was actually going to support Al-Shabab in its fight against the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and its ally, Ethiopia.

Much of the money was spent on airline tickets and other travel expenses for recruits sent to support Al-Shabab in Somalia, he said. He also admitted to sending two payments of $50 and one payment of $100 between April 2009 and April 2010 to help buy weapons.

Al-Shabab was formally designated a terrorist group by the U.S. secretary of state in late February 2008.

Some 20 Somali immigrants have left the Minneapolis area to join Al-Shabab's fight, according to court documents. So far, 18 people have been publicly charged in Minnesota with federal crimes related to their support of the group. Eight of them have been arrested and seven of those have pleaded guilty. Eight others are believed to be living abroad, and two are believed to have died in Somalia, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats Jr. and Mahamud's attorney, Rick Mattox, disagree about how the federal sentencing guidelines should be applied in his case. Mattox puts the suggested range of imprisonment at just under 3 1/2 years up to 4¼ years. Kovats contends the range could be as high as 30 years to life. Kovats acknowledged, though, that by law the prison term can't exceed 15 years.

The length of Mahamud's sentence could be affected by his prior convictions. Kovats said if some prior driving violations are considered, they might warrant a longer term.

Davis asked if the government had some information he wasn't privy to. He quickly ticked off Mahamud's driving record: speeding, driving after his license was suspended, no proof of insurance, speeding. Anything else? Davis asked.

"No, nothing more," Kovats said.

Davis must consider the sentencing guidelines but isn't bound by them. He will determine the appropriate sentence after the probation office completes an investigation, which generally takes a couple of months.

He said that after graduating from Eden Prairie High School, he took some general education courses at Normandale Community College. He suffers from seizures and is taking phenobarbital to control them, he said.

Mahamud has been staying in a Twin Cities halfway house while awaiting trial. Mattox said Mahamud would like to return to Ohio where he has a daughter who was born in November.

Kovats asked Davis to maintain the terms of release for now, but added that he expects a motion to be filed to modify the conditions.