USA v. Ahmed, Ali Yasin, et al.

Al Shabaab; Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Three Somali men, Ali Yasin Ahmed, Madhi Hashi, and Mohamed Yusuf, were charged with material support to the al-Qaida tied Somali terrorist organization al Shabaab and the unlawful use of high-powered firearms. According to court documents, between December 2008 and August 2012, the defendants participated in weapons and explosives training with members and associates of al Shabaab, and they agreed with others to support al-Shabaab and its Islamic extremist agenda. They were also deployed in combat operations to support al Shabaab's military action in Somalia. In addition, the defendants participated in an elite al Shabaab suicide bomber program. In August 2012, the defendants were apprehended in Africa by local authorities while on their way to Yemen to join forces with Ansar al Sharia, also known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. They were indicted in the Eastern District of New York in October 2012 and subsequently extradited to the United States. In May 2015, the three men pleaded guilty to providing material support to al Shabaab. In January 2016, Ali Yasin Ahmed and Mohamed Yusuf were each sentenced to 11 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to al Shabaab.