USA v. Muse, Muse Abdikadir, et al.
Lansing, MI

Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)

[WDMI] Three residents of Lansing, Michigan, were charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Muse Abdikadir Muse (Muse Muse) and alleged co-conspirators Mohamud Abdikadir Muse (Mohamud Muse), and Mohamed Salat Haji (Haji) are naturalized U.S. citizens who were born in Kenya. According to the complaint, Muse Muse purchased airline tickets to travel from Grand Rapids, MI, to Mogadishu, in January 2019. The complaint further alleged that Haji and Mohamud Muse aided in the purchase of the ticket and drove Muse Muse to the Grand Rapids airport, each knowing the true purpose of the travel was for Muse Muse to join and fight for ISIS. All three defendants pledged allegiance to ISIS through videos they recorded themselves. Muse Muse and Haji allegedly discussed with each other their desire to join ISIS, to kill non-believers, and even to potentially use a car for a martyrdom operation to run down non-believers here in the United States if they could not travel overseas to fight for ISIS. In January 2020, Muse Muse pleaded guilty to one felony charge of conspiring to providing material support to a designated terrorist organization. Also in January 2020, Mohamud Abdikadir Muse pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. And in June 2021, Mohamed Haji pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.