Federal prosecutors charged a man allegedly inspired by the New Year’s Day massacre in New Orleans with attempting to join ISIS.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced terrorism charges against Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan from Minneapolis in a Friday press release, saying he tried to travel to Somalia to become an ISIS militant in December. The DOJ said Hassan “praised” ISIS follower Shamsud-Din Jabbar for his Jan. 1 attack that killed 15 people, bolstering past concerns that the attack would inspire copycat extremists.
“On Feb. 21, Hassan also posted a video of himself driving while holding a small ISIS flag inside the vehicle, as well as another video of himself driving with an open knife on his lap,” said the DOJ after an investigation of Hassan’s social media posts. “On Feb. 26, FBI observed Hassan driving while again holding the ISIS flag.”
Jabbar similarly drove a truck with the Islamic group’s flag stored inside when he plowed the vehicle into a crowd of victims before losing his life in a shootout with police.
Minneapolis Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS
: https://t.co/BKMs4qG7N5 pic.twitter.com/VKlzcS0ese
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) February 28, 2025
: The DOJ alleged Hassan unsuccessfully attempted travel while carrying a naturalization certificate — meaning he was born outside the U.S. and obtained citizenship. The agency did not say why the travel was unsuccessful.
Hassan is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which brings up to 20 years in prison.
The Daily Caller News Foundation did not find Hassan’s case on federal court databases, and it is not clear if he has a lawyer.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a warning in January about “possible copycat or retaliatory attacks” after the New Year’s Day massacre “due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers.” They asked “that the public remain vigilant.”
The New Year’s Day attack and the overthrow of Syria’s Assad regime by rebel forces in December have raised concerns that ISIS activity may be on the rise. A federal inspector general report said ISIS exploited the power vacuum in Syria “to acquire some quantities of weapons and supplies from supply depots abandoned by regime forces.”
The DOJ also charged a Tajik man on Wednesday with sending funds to the terrorist group.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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