Federal prosecutors have charged a Minneapolis man with attempting to join ISIS, alleging the New Year’s Day massacre in New Orleans inspired him.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced terrorism charges against Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan in a Friday press release, stating that he attempted to travel to Somalia in December to join ISIS as a militant.
The DOJ also noted that Hassan had “praised” ISIS follower Shamsud-Din Jabbar for his January 1 attack that left 15 people dead, reinforcing prior concerns that the massacre could inspire copycat extremists, the Daily Caller reported.
“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, the FBI observed Hassan driving while again holding the ISIS flag.”
Jabbar similarly drove a truck, which had the Islamic group’s flag inside, into a crowd before dying in a shootout with police.
The DOJ alleged that Hassan attempted to travel but was unsuccessful while carrying a naturalization certificate, indicating he was born outside the U.S. and later obtained citizenship. The agency did not disclose the reason his travel attempt failed.
Hassan has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a warning in January about “possible copycat or retaliatory attacks” after the New Year’s Day killings “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 about a potential increase in ISIS activity. A federal inspector general report said ISIS took advantage of 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 organization, The Daily Caller added.
Americans were warned in a bulletin to be alert for potential copycat vehicle attacks that target “crowded public venues, including festivals and commercial centers,” according to a joint memo titled “Threat of Copycat Attacks after ISIS-Inspired Vehicle Attack in New Orleans.”
The agencies say they don’t have anything specific to watch out for, and it’s unclear at this time if the warning was based on any specific, new threat or plot that investigators uncovered.
“Due to the highly personal nature of radicalization to violence and mobilization to violence, it can be difficult to assess specific characteristics indicating the intent of US-based violent extremists to conduct violence,” the memo states.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are issuing this Public Service Announcement to highlight a potential public safety threat from violent extremists in response to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. As with any potential threats to the United States, we will coordinate with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure they have the resources and information necessary to keep our communities safe,” the memo stated.
“The FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers. Previous attackers inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) who have conducted vehicle attacks in the United States and abroad have used rented, stolen, and personally owned vehicles, which are easy to acquire. Some have used additional weapons, such as firearms and knives, to attack individuals after the vehicle has stopped,” the memo added.