NEW YORK
Two members of Al-Shabaab were each sentenced today to 11 years in prison for supporting terrorism in Africa, according to officials.
Ali Yasin Ahmed, aka Ismail, 31, and Mohamed Yusuf, aka Abu Zaid, Hudeyfa and Mohammed Abdulkadir, 33, were arrested in 2012 in East Africa by local authorities while on their way to Yemen, officials said.
Once in Somalia, officials said the defendants participated in numerous attacks on government forces.
The defendants, both naturalized Swedish citizens, traveled to Somalia intending to wage violent jihad on the U.N.-sanctioned African Union Mission in Somalia and Somali government forces that were attempting to bring stability to that war-torn country, according to officials.
“These defendants left their adopted European homes to support al-Shabaab, a violent terrorist organization that has demonstrated its capabilities and motives in numerous terrorist attacks overseas and has publicly called for attacks against the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Capers. “Today’s significant sentences reflect the seriousness of the defendants’ criminal conduct and will serve as a strong deterrent to others considering the path to violence.”
Yusuf is featured in an al-Shabaab propaganda video in which he encourages young men to travel to Somalia and join al-Shabaab and threatened a cartoonist who had depicted the prophet Mohammad. A third defendant, Madhi Hashi, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2016.
“The guilty plea and sentencing of these men for providing material support to al-Shabaab, demonstrates the U.S. government’s commitment and leadership in prosecuting persons whose intention is to violently assault societies different than their own,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez. “We remain steadfast in identifying and stopping such attacks.”