FBI trying to confirm ID of Somalia suicide bomber

[IRONm@N]

FBI trying to confirm ID of Somalia suicide bomber
By AMY FORLITI, Associated Press – 10 hours ago

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal authorities said they are trying to confirm the identity of a suicide bomber who carried out a deadly attack in Somalia after a militant group claimed Thursday that the man was a Somali-American from Minnesota.

The group al-Shabab said 25-year-old Abdullahi Ahmed of Minneapolis bombed the African Union base in Mogadishu on Monday, killing two AU troops and a government soldier. Minnesota, home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., has been the center of a federal investigation in recent years into the recruiting and travels of young men who left the U.S. believed to have gone to fight with al-Shabab.

The FBI is aware of the bombing and has agents in East Africa investigating, and the agency is trying to determine the bomber's identity, said Steve Warfield, an FBI spokesman in Minnesota.

"We are trying to find out who that guy is and if there are any ties to Minnesota, but right now we don't know," Warfield said.

He said that process could take time, and authorities may never get definitive answers. Not only do agents need to get into the war-torn country, which has been unstable for decades, they have to find something that could be tested for authenticity, he said.

More than 20 young men have left Minnesota in waves since 2007 to allegedly join al-Shabab, which the U.S. says has ties to al-Qaida.

A total of 19 people have been charged in Minnesota in connection with the travelers and alleged terror financing. Others have been charged in San Diego and St. Louis with funneling money to the terror group.

In a Thursday report on the Somali Memo website, a media outlet that a terror expert says has an intimate relationship with al-Shabab, a man claiming to be Abdullahi Ahmed spoke with an interviewer about the impending Mogadishu attack. A translator who listened to the audio recording for The Associated Press said the man claiming to be Ahmed said he left Minnesota two years ago to join the jihad, and that he was happy about his upcoming mission.

The man said the suicide bombing had been planned in advance. He also spoke briefly in English, delivering a message to his "brothers and sisters" in the West: "Wherever you are, brothers, come," he said. "Come to jihad."

Authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the audio recording or the identity of the person on it.

Evan Kohlmann, a terror consultant and senior investigator with the Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, of NEFA, said he believes the interview is legitimate because of Somali Memo's record. He said the media group has a good record of reporting on events involving al-Shabab and has sources within terror group. Kohlmann said the message in the interview is consistent with other suicide wills, which are closely managed by al-Shabab. The group is known for using Americans to recruit others to their cause.

If authorities are able to confirm Abdullahi Ahmed's death, he would become at least the third Somali-American to have carried out a suicide bombing in Somalia.

The first known American suicide bomber in Somalia was Shirwa Ahmed of Minneapolis. He blew himself up in October 2008, in the northern breakaway republic of Somaliland as part of a series of coordinated explosions that killed 21 people. In September 2009, insurgents — including an 18-year-old from Seattle — drove two stolen United Nations cars into an African Union base and detonated them, killing 21 people.

Some members of the Somali community in Minneapolis said they fear people are still leaving the U.S. and Europe to join al-Shabab.

"They lure people through that propaganda machine," Omar Jamal, a local advocate, said of the terror group.

In addition to Shirwa Ahmed, two other young men from Minnesota have been confirmed dead by relatives. The family of Burhan Hassan, 20, said they learned in June 2009 that he was killed in Mogadishu and buried there. The family of 20-year-old Jamal Sheikh Bana learned of his death that same year after finding a picture of his body online.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator and then turned on each other, causing chaos in the African nation of 7 million people.

Associated Press writer Abdi Guled contributed to this report from Mogadishu, Somalia.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Everytime I hear a story like this, I feel bad for the family, how will their lives change, how will they handle the news and all the attention? do I know the family, do I know the victim,

[LobsterUnit]

war ninku wa qoloma?

[waryaa]

war ninku wa qoloma?

waa rer cali jama .lol (i hope there's no such a reer cali jama tribe)

Everytime I hear a story like this, I feel bad for the family, how will their lives change, how will they handle the news and all the attention? do I know the family, do I know the victim,

Every action like this makes our mobility (somali male) more and more difficult.

[Advo]

He will turn out to be just another somali with no connection to the states, probably a recruit from one of the refugee camps.

However the TFG needs this publicity stunts for obvious gains and the US needs this for further fear mongering and passing ridiculous laws without the objection of the mass because this country is actually run by the people and with scared citizens, it's an open bank.

[waryaa]

advo, they recorded some firefight and you can hear a guy with American accent say "I can't do it" @ that minute I said sht, here we go again. Then this American connection comes to light

He will turn out to be just another somali with no connection to the states, probably a recruit from one of the refugee camps.

However the TFG needs this publicity stunts for obvious gains and the US needs this for further fear mongering and passing ridiculous laws without the objection of the mass because this country is actually run by the people and with scared citizens, it's an open bank.

[LobsterUnit]

He was interviewed on Idacada Quranka, basically alshabab inc. radio. So the TFG has to be pretty nifty to fake this.

[Advo]

Horta those guys that left the comfort of their home did not posses the ability to think outside of the box, granted they had their own reasoning for joining alshabaab whether it was religious reasons, adventure, find their calling etc but what they failed to think about was us, the Somali American community and how it would effect us directly, their family, their mom, dad, siblings etc. We have to pay for their stupidity. Before we were just another black community in America, now we are possible domestic terrorist and all eyes focused in each move we make. Imagine if that retarded kid from portland was successful in blowing up the mall? the public outlash against Somalis would be something un witnessed before, It's not about being "afraid" of them but it's that we have everything invested here and are in the mercy of their hands. So now we gotta be ready to be strip searched at the airport, our phones tapped, questionings about our travels, informants ready to entrap gullible loud mouth idiots etc. SMH

[DR-YALAXOOW]

advo! despite all problems khawaariji wahaabis al shabaabs cousing for you and people who live in north America, you still support al shabaab! i know lately you run in the closet because of American authorty which makes you that you can not show openly your support of al shabaab.

[Basra-]

Somalinet is working in conjuction with FBI to fish for info ma ha?

[DR-YALAXOOW]

Somalinet has many al shabaabist and future suicide bombers who live in north america.

GAAJOUNIT= al shabaab supporter
ADVO= al shabaab supporter
SHirip= hardcord al shabaabis who enjoys living amerika.

Grankhaliif= munaafaq probably jaajuuus who openly claimes hes al shabaab terrorist

Somali_star= former somalinet member he went mogadishu to join al shabaab one and half years ago probably he was killed, or he commited suicide.

[Cirwaaq]

Somalinet has many al shabaabist and future suicide bombers who live in north america.

GAAJOUNIT= al shabaab supporter
ADVO= al shabaab supporter
SHirip= hardcord al shabaabis who enjoys living amerika.

Grankhaliif= munaafaq probably jaajuuus who openly claimes hes al shabaab terrorist

Somali_star= former somalinet member he went mogadishu to join al shabaab one and half years ago probably he was killed, or he commited suicide.

Somali_star= former somalinet member he went mogadishu to join al shabaab one and half years ago probably he was killed, or he commited suicide

One of the first forumers i had a negative exchange with, then suddenly he vanished and Udun started following me around like somehting i have stepped on with a bad odour.

Is there a link between SS and Udun they reason in the same format?

[grandpakhalif]

Somalinet has many al shabaabist and future suicide bombers who live in north america.

GAAJOUNIT= al shabaab supporter
ADVO= al shabaab supporter
SHirip= hardcord al shabaabis who enjoys living amerika.

Grankhaliif= munaafaq probably jaajuuus who openly claimes hes al shabaab terrorist

Somali_star= former somalinet member he went mogadishu to join al shabaab one and half years ago probably he was killed, or he commited suicide.

THe only munafq, murtad is you DR. Dameer.