Big Week for Al Shabaab News

This week the FBI confirmed the identity of one of the suicide bombers in the May 30 suicide attack in Somalia as St. Paul resident Farah Mohamed Beledi (pictured right). Soon after the attack, Al Shabaab identified the suicide bomber as Abdullahi Ahmed, another Somali-American from Minneapolis. The FBI has yet to announce whether the second suicide bomber is in fact Ahmed.

On the same day that Beledi was identified as one of the suicide bombers, another Somali-American was arrested and charged with providing material support to Al Shabaab. Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, 26, of Westerville, Ohio, allegedly conspired with others to provide money and personnel to the terrorist group. He will be transferred to Minneapolis to face trial, where he was indicted earlier this week. 

Beledi and Mahamud are just two of at least 34 people charged in the U.S. in the past few years in connection with Al Shabaab. Twenty-one of these individuals are in U.S. custody, while 13 others are at large or believed to be dead. In addition to those officially charged on terror offenses, at least 6 others are believed to have been killed while fighting with Al Shabaab, including Shirwa Ahmed, the first known American suicide bomber. 

Reports are coming out today that a female Al Shabaab fighter has carried out a suicide attack on the Somali

Minister of Interior’s house, injuring him. While her identity has not yet been confirmed, there are three other women charged on terror offenses linked to Al Shabaab who have been arrested in the U.S. These three women - Nima Ali Yusuf, Amina Farah Ali and Hawo Mohamed Hassan - have all be charged with aiding Al Shabaab.

While recent events have forced us to focus more on AQ Central, AQAP, TTP and LeT -- this week alone proves that we have to continue to be concerned about Al Shabaab.