Tuesday September 30, 2025
Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, of Minnesota, is seen in a booking photo released by U.S. authorities. Hassan pleaded guilty Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after prosecutors said he twice tried to travel to Somalia to join the extremist organization. (Photo: U.S. District Court via HOL)
Mogadishu (HOL) — A 23-year-old Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after trying twice to travel to Somalia to join the extremist organization.
Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan entered the plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul. He faces up to 15 years in prison, though his sentence is likely to be lower under a plea agreement. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Prosecutors said Hassan repeatedly expressed support for ISIS online, including praise for the attacker who killed 14 people in a Jan. 1 truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. That attacker’s vehicle carried an ISIS flag before he was shot dead by police.
Court documents show Hassan attempted twice in December to fly from Minnesota to Somalia to fight for the militant group. He was blocked from boarding his first flight due to improper travel documents and missed the second after being questioned by federal officers. The FBI later observed him driving with an ISIS flag before his arrest in February.
“Hassan flew the ISIS flag, venerated attacks on the homeland, and wanted to kill Americans,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said in a statement. “We are not taking chances. We will not let Minnesota become a safe haven for terrorists.”
Hassan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, remains in custody. The FBI said its investigation began after a tip about a social media user who had voiced support for ISIS and the Somali militant group al-Shabab.
The case reflects a broader pattern of ISIS recruitment in Minnesota. Several young men from the state have been convicted in recent years of attempting to join the group. In 2016, nine were sentenced on conspiracy charges, and in 2024, another Minnesotan who fought with ISIS in Iraq was sentenced to 10 years in prison.