Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud
Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud | |
|---|---|
عبد الرحمن الشيخ محمود | |
 | |
| Born | 1991 or 1993 |
| Years active | 2014-2015 |
| Organization |  Al-Nusra Front |
| Criminal charges | Providing material support for terrorism Perjury[1] |
Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud (Arabic: عبد الرحمن الشيخ محمود, 1991 or 1993) is a Somali former al-Nusra Front member accused of attempting to plot a domestic terrorist attack in the United States after training with al-Qaeda militants in Syria during the Syrian civil war.[2]
Early life
[edit]Mohamud was born in Somalia in either 1991 or 1993.[3] He emigrated to the United States in Columbus, Ohio with his family at the age of 2.[4] He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in February 2014 where he soon after applied for a United States passport.[5]
Militant history
[edit]His older brother, Abdifatah Aden, joined Al-Nusra Front in Syria in May 2013 and sought to bring Mohamud to Syria to join Al-Nusra Front as a foreign fighter.[6] In February 2014, Mohamud offered to give his brother Aden money before, two months later, he would travel to Syria with US$1,000 on tow to join Al-Nusra Front.[7] He traveled to Syria after becoming naturalized citizen and applying for a passport, with his passport he would buy a one-way ticket to Athens, Greece, and then Istanbul, Turkey where he would travel across the Syria–Turkey border into Al-Nusra Front territory.[8] While in Syria, he also worked alongside ISIS militants in training.[9] While training in Syria, he learned several skills including how to break into houses, hand-to-hand combat, explosives and weapons training.[10] Mohamud showed how he wanted to kill United States soldiers "execution style" while at the training camp, this led to a radical cleric at the camp to instruct Mohamud to go back to the United States to commit a terrorist attack with his new skills.[11]
Arrest
[edit]On February 21, 2015, U.S. authorities arrested Mohamud in Ohio on charges of providing material support for individuals engaged in terrorism.[12] After being arrested and put on trial, Mohamud pled not guilty to the material support charges and the plans to attack a military base in Texas or a prison.[13] Mohamud was facing up to 38 years in prison.[14] It wasn't until January 2018 where he would plead guilty to providing material support to terrorists and giving a false statement involving international terrorism in August 2015 where he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorist Activity, Newly Unsealed Records Show". Voice of America. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Gray, Kathy Lynn (2015-04-16). "Columbus man indicted on terrorism charges by federal grand jury". The Columbus Dispatch. ISSN 1074-097X. Archived from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Shane, Scott (2015-04-16). "Ohio Man Trained in Syria Is Charged With Planning Terrorism in U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Connor, Tracy (2015-04-17). "Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, Ohio'Terror Suspect, a 'Normal Kid': Lawyer". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Levs, Josh (2015-04-16). "New U.S. citizen sought to execute U.S. soldiers, indictment alleges". CNN. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (2017-07-05). "US citizen pleaded guilty to training with al Qaeda in Syria, plotting attack". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Goldman, Adam (2015-04-16). "Ohio man who trained with Jabhat al-Nusra is indicted on terrorism charges". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Ohio man charged with planning US attack after ISIS training". KTAR-FM. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Kaplan, Rebecca (2015-04-16). "Ohio man allegedly plotted attack in U.S. after traveling to Syria - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Man returned from Syria 'planned to kill US soldiers'". BBC News. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Hummel, Kristina (2019-05-29). "Options for Dealing with Islamic State Foreign Fighters Currently Detained in Syria". Combating Terrorism Center. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Welsh-Huggins, Andrew (2015-04-17). "Ohio man pleads not guilty to plotting military base attack". WPVI-TV. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Man Charged with Planning Terrorism Attacks in US". Voice of America. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Zapotosky, Matt; Stubbs, Roman; Vinall, Frances; McDaniel, Justine; Morse, Dan; Munro, Dana; Blake, Aaron; Gilman, Priscilla (2018-01-22). "Ohio man who trained with terrorists overseas and plotted to kill U.S. troops sentenced to 22 years". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Retrieved 2025-04-05.