The arrest of a Chanhassen man last week shows that young Somali men in the Twin Cities are still returning to their homeland to fight, but a federal investigation of the exodus has driven the recruitment of the would-be fighters "underground," a local Somali leader said Wednesday. "We hope this pressure will stop the recruitment process," said Omar Jamal, director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. "The sooner it comes to an end, the better for the Somali community." Jamal also said that while nobody seems to have an accounting of how many local Somali men returned to Somalia to fight with a group allegedly linked to al-Qaida, it is probably greater than the 20 often cited in media accounts."The numbers now are probably much higher than 20. Definitely," he said.
Jamal spoke hours after federal prosecutors filed a two-count indictment against Abdow Munye Abdow, 25, for allegedly making false statements to FBI agents. The FBI has been investigating the movement of Somali men out of the country, and Abdow became the fourth local man charged in the case. Jamal's comments during the investigation have at times drawn ire from other Somalis. Among other things, he has called for a wider investigation into alleged recruiting at Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center in Minneapolis. The head imam there has denied claims that anyone connected with the mosque has been involved with the travel of local Somalis back to Africa...more..http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_13564976
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