FBI reaching out to Somali communities

The FBI is reaching out to Somali communities in New England after young men in Minnesota were recruited to travel to Somalia to fight with Islamist militants.
Warren Bamford, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston office, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the FBI is staying in close touch with Somali leaders in Boston and Lewiston, Maine, where there are large Somali populations. In Minnesota, where the largest U.S. population of Somali immigrants is concentrated in Minneapolis, authorities believe as many as 20 young men have traveled to Somalia to join in fighting there. Bamford said Tuesday there is no evidence of recruitment going on in the Northeast. But he said the FBI is concerned about young men in Minneapolis being sought out to travel to Somalia. "We are concerned about them receiving training, and then of course coming back over here and then utilizing that training in some terrorist attack here," Bamford said. Three men have pleaded guilty in the Minnesota-based investigation into Americans going to Somalia for training by al-Shabab, which has been designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist group linked to al-Qaida. Somali leaders in Boston say they are cooperating but stress there is no reason to believe local men are participating. They also say they are concerned about racial profiling. "There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that (local) Somali kids are being recruited to go overseas," said Aatif Harden, director of institutional advancement at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in New England...more..http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1035339&lang=eng_news