Minneapolis, MN – The case of the three Somali American young men, Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah, went to the all-white jury June 1, after final arguments and reading of jury instructions. The youth are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, material support for terrorism and other charges, which could bring life in prison.

In closing arguments defense attorneys demolished the government’s case, pointing out that key government witnesses stood to get substantially less jail time if they helped get convictions of the young men entrapped by the FBI.

The three young men are facing an uphill fight due to the fact that some of the laws they are being accused of violating, such as the material support for terrorism statutes, criminalize speech and are extremely broad.

After court, family, friends and supporters rallied in support of the young men in front of the federal courthouse.

#MinneapolisMN #GuledOmar #AbdirahmanDaud #MohamadFarah

Minneapolis, MN – The prosecution in the case of the three Somali youth entrapped by the FBI was handed another setback, May 25, by one of the government’s own witnesses, Abdirizak Warsame. The young Somali-American men on trial, Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah, are facing life in prison on the charges of conspiracy to commit murder abroad and material support of terrorism.

Warsame admitted that he was lying when he claimed that he had the ability to build rockets that could shoot down planes at 2000 feet, acknowledging his knowledge of the topic came from model rocket kits he used in middle school.

Warsame contradicted the testimony of other government witnesses, who contended that paintball games that some Somali youth played were some sort of “training.”

In cross examination, it came out that Warsame was trying to avoid jail time by going along with government efforts to prosecute his former friends.

The Coalition to Defend the Muslim Community has called for rally, Thursday, May 26, outside the federal courthouse, 300 South 4th Street, Minneapolis, at 5 p.m., to support the young men and their families in their fight for justice.

#MinneapolisMN #GuledOmar #AbdirahmanDaud #MohamadFarah #AbdirizakWarsame #CoalitionToDefendTheMuslimCommunity

Minneapolis, MN – Paid informant Abdirahman Bashir continued his testimony, May 20, in packed courtroom at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse, as the trial of three Somali youth who were entrapped by the FBI entered its ninth day. The cross examination of Bashir is expected to begin on Monday.

The young men, Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah are facing life in prison on the charges of conspiracy to commit murder abroad and material support of terrorism.

Much of today’s testimony was devoted to listening to tapes that Bashir secretly recorded to implicate the young men who considered him a friend.

The recording showed that Bashir attempted to get the youths to take actions that would lead to federal changes, including obtaining fake passports. At one point in the tapes Bashir offered that he could get an “unlicensed AK-47” and that an arsenal of weapons was available to him.

This trial mirrors many across the U.S. where the FBI manufactures a ‘crime’ and then fits people into it.

Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Anti-War Committee is urging peace activists and other progressive people to continue to fill the courtroom in coming weeks.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalRepression #GuledOmar #AbdirahmanDaud #MohamadFarah #AbdirahmanBashir

On Monday, May 16, the defense hammered a key prosecution witness, Abdullahi Mohamud Yusuf. Under withering examination by Bruce Nestor, Abdirahman Daud’s attorney, Yusuf was repeatedly shown to be untruthful. At one point in his testimony Yusuf admitted he had told “a lot of lies” to federal investigators.

Defense attorneys also exposed the agreement between Yusuf and the prosecution – an agreement that rewards Yusuf with less or no jail time, if the authorities are pleased with his efforts to lock up his former friends.

On May 17, FBI Special Agent Daniel Higgins was called to the stand. Most of his testimony was devoted to the Twitter and Facebook activity of an Abdi Nur. Higgins said FBI investigated Nur’s Facebook friends. At the prodding of prosecutor Andrew Winter, Higgins went on at length about messages and postings with a political or religious content.

Also on May 17, a strange turn of events took place when presiding Judge Michael Davis seemed to slip into the role of prosecutor, questioning a visibly distraught witness, Ifrah Nur, while the jury was present.

Throughout the proceeding, family, friends and supporters filled the courtroom.

Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee has been attending the trial and urges others to do the same. “The government is trying to criminalize the Somali community, and it is important that we show our solidarity with these young people,” stated Sundin.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalRepression #GuledOmar #AbdirahmanDaud #MohamadFarah

Minneapolis, MN – Week two of the trial of three Somali youth will open May 16, with the continued testimony of Abdullahi Mohamud Yusuf. Yusuf was the first star witness for prosecutors aiming to convict three of his former friends of terrorism conspiracy charges. According to Yusuf, he planned to travel to Syria and join ISIL in 2014, but was stopped at the airport by FBI Special Agent John Thomas. Yusuf plead guilty in the case, hoping to receive a lighter sentence in exchange for his testimony against Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah. Yusuf testified to several meetings with the three, though none of them were with him the day he set out for Syria.

Earlier in the trial, observers spent a day and a half listening to the testimony of Charles Lister, the government’s expert witness on ISIS. Most were frustrated – his remarks had nothing to do with the actions of the young men on trial, and many questioned his qualifications. One Somali observer said that Lister knew “maybe 30%” of what he was talking about with regard to Islam, and several pointed out that he didn’t speak even rudimentary Arabic. Many were concerned that his testimony would only confuse or bore the jury, presuming most are unfamiliar with the topics he discussed.

Supporters have been in the court each day of the trial, and will continue to be there. The Anti-War Committee and other organizers are asking people who can attend court to sign-up at http://goo.gl/forms/L4isRyTYIz. They also plan to have a presence outside the courtroom each morning from 8 to 8:30 a.m. and on Thursdays at 5:00.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PoliticalRepression #AbdullahiMohamudYusuf #GuledOmar #AbdirahmanDaud #MohamadFarah