A Maplewood man pleaded guilty Thursday to taking part in the burning of a St. Paul high school during the riots that followed the death of George Floyd last summer.
Maplewood man pleads guilty to conspiracy to light St. Paul school on fire during riots
Mohamed Hussein Abdi lit a fire in the school cafeteria and threw rocks at police officers, he said.
March 25, 2021 at 4:54PM
Mohamed Hussein Abdi, 20, appeared in Minnesota's U.S. District Court via Zoom to accept a plea deal of one count of conspiracy to commit arson.
On May 28, 2020, Abdi met a friend near the Gordon Parks High School, located at 1212 University Ave. W., and broke into the cafeteria, he told the court. Abdi and the co-conspirator agreed to light the building on fire. Abdi poured flammable accelerant on the floor, lit a trash can on fire and knocked it over toward the trail of flammable liquid. He left with a fire in the cafeteria still burning.
Abdi also threw rocks at police and broke out a window at Discount Tire, he said.
A sentencing date has not been scheduled. Abdi could face a maximum of five years in prison and will pay restitution to the school and tire shop.
Andy Mannix • 612-673-4036
“This was certainly not an outcome that we were hoping would materialize, and we know that today’s path forward does not provide a perfect solution,” interim OCM director Charlene Briner said Wednesday.
