Eritrean man gets 9 years in prison for aiding Somalia’s al Shabaab
(Reuters) - An Eritrean man who admitted to having ties to the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab was sentenced on Wednesday to 9-1/4 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said. Mohamed Ibrahim
(Reuters) – An Eritrean man who admitted to having ties to the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab was sentenced on Wednesday to 9-1/4 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said.
Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to provide material support to al Shabaab, and to conspiring to receive military-type training from the group.
Ahmed, 38, was arrested in Nigeria in November 2009 and brought to Manhattan federal court to face U.S. terrorism charges in March 2010. He is an Eritrean national and a permanent resident of Sweden.
“Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed traveled thousands of miles to align himself with al Shabaab to aid their campaign of terror and to learn their ‘ways of war,'” Bharara said in a statement. “Today, his journey ends in prison.”
U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel sentenced Ahmed, who has been in custody since June, according to his lawyer Sabrina Shroff, a federal public defender.
The U.S. State Department considers al Shabaab a foreign terrorist organization.
A law enforcement official said that if Ahmed had gone to trial, senior al Shabaab operative Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame would have been a key witness against him.
On Monday, Bharara’s office said Warsame had pleaded guilty to nine U.S. criminal charges.
Unsealed government documents said Warsame commanded “hundreds” of al Shabaab fighters at one point and later served as a liaison between the Somalia-based militant group and Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded as one of al Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliates.
Warsame was captured by U.S. authorities in April 2011, held and interrogated aboard a U.S. Navy ship for about two months, then moved into federal custody in New York.
In June, prosecutors recommended a 10-year prison term for Ahmed in exchange for his plea.
Shroff had argued for a five-year prison term, followed by immediate deportation, according to court documents.
“Given his nonexistent connections with the United States, and his complete lack of animosity toward its people, I am very disappointed with the sentence,” Shroff said.
The case is U.S. v. Ahmed, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 10-cr-00131.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Mark Hosenball in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
Eritrean man gets 9 years in prison for aiding Somalia’s al Shabaab
Adhanom Kifle March 28, 2013
hmhmhmhmhhmhmhmhh
Elsa March 28, 2013
I wonder what motivated Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed to align himself with al Shabaab, a terrorist group. Does Islam has a play on this one? Is Islam a religion of peace as some claim it to be? If so, Muslims must defend their religion by distancing themselves from such activities.
I need to learn more about this religion. Does anyone care to enlighten me?
Elsu
Ali-lol March 28, 2013
I dont care about religion. I believe in humanity, love, equality, freedom and respect. Religion is evil, if you read the Bible esp. the old testament, it is full of blood. You can read even when God kills babies. Religion sacks.
Elsa March 28, 2013
Ali-lol (What a sexy name!),
A society without religion is dead. All our moral foundations come from religion,
especially Christianity. I think when you read Bible you just misunderstood it and
you did not make an effort to see things from different angle. Religion is not evil
but those who wrongly practice it may misuse it.
Haftka,
Elsu
Tewelde March 29, 2013
Hi Elsa Haftey,
You said it well, thanks!
All we need to look at is on the inside of us before we blame others, or trying to justify our action with something which we can’t touch or smell. Unless we wanted be “bad”, I am sure there is nothing that forces us to be ghastly – but if we want be bad everything around us makes us worse or horrible as they are against our bad behaviour or actions.
However, I haven’t heard or come across a religion to become evil – as the foundation for all is one and only one – just to keep human in a peaceful coexistence with him/herself, brothers/sisters as well as with nature. What makes it evil is when interpret it in evil manner – that is being or not-being evil is on us. That is what I have learned from the holy Quran and holy bible – there is nothing inside that are against ourselves, except we deliberately misinterpret/misuse the verse.
I can also assure you anyone who believes in humanity, love, equality, freedom and respect to human kind – is the great prophet, because these are what all our religion Christianity or Muslim, etc) tells us.
Dehaykum Yitsebik!
ahmed saleh March 29, 2013
Dear Elsa
Knowledge is wisdom and if you want to learn read HOLY QUORAN in English . I didn’t have
a problem to read Bible to understand about Christianity . Only ignorant person might not
understand my intention of having broad understanding . In fact Holy books ” TORAH (JEWS )
BIBLE (Christianity) QURAN (ISLAM ) are the only TRUE one GOD revelation .
It has been the certainty of politics for long time to belittle someone else faith , race
and other factors to create hatred and chaos among people .
Crooked politicians always can do use religion in their pursuit of political ambition to
control power . And the saying goes ; ” Religion is true for common people and useful for
a politician hunger .
Zerai March 29, 2013
i am christian but i used to read Quran. i am not mean i believe in it, but just to know the Islam and what it was. i read several small Islamic books, i did not find it much difference from the Bible, i think it is related with bible, sometimes, i felt like they have copied the bible.
Islamic has little difference only because they did not mention AGZIBIHIER but the words of bible are scattered in the quran.
They belive that, Allah can not be seen, we belive the same, Agzibihier can not be seen,
I don’t have the meaning of Allah, but i can translate the meaning of Agziaebhier.
AgziA= Goyta, Fetari=Amlak
Bihier = Fturat kulu tnfas zelewon zeyblun ftur.
So Isalmic quran has the link with Agziaebhier which we believe that he is powerful and can not be seen, it is like fire and and wind which you can not see it,
OROMAI ERITRA March 28, 2013
Elsa,
Probably Ahmed was tired of the freedom to travel,worship,marry whoever you want ¨exploitation¨of the west & misses the beheading for stealing a loaf of bread ,or going to jail for not performing the 4 PM sala..of Saudi Arabia…and maybe also resented that women are considered as human beings in the west as opposed to property of their husbands.
can you believe the ¨inhumanity¨ of the west …instead of having killed by her brother for being raped ..it is actually the rapist that goes to jail…Ya alah..ilalah…what a decayed society is the west…treating a w3oman like a human being..this is blasphemy against alah…
jonas March 29, 2013
I am also confused like you about Islam, whenever attacks are committed in the name of Islam there is just a general silence by the main stream if not out right support. I have heard Islam is a religon of peace but you rarely see anyone vigoursly argue to proof that.
abdo March 30, 2013
http://www.islamtomorrow.com
Dear Miss Elsa
Islam forbids the killing of innocent people however it allows a self defense. please I advice you ‘NOT TO JUDGE A RELIGION BY ITS SOME MISGUIDED FOLLOWERS” as every religions has it’s teaching that we can we judge it accordingly .
Almighty God says in the Noble Qur’aan ”Perhaps Allah will put, between you and those to whom you have been enemies among them, affection. And Allah is competent, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
60:8
to top
Sahih International
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
Quraan 60:9
Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
carmelina March 28, 2013
non so cosa dire,secondo me l’ha fatto per il dio denaro,non perchè è musulmano.io sono cresciuta,con Eritrei Musulmani.Islam è una religione di pace.il terrorismo è sinonimo di potere e soldi!
Haki March 28, 2013
The Bible is all about love and peace I don’t want talk about the other religious group…. the truth is why the hell the Eritrean man doing with blood handed terrorists. … if he was not a twisted minds. … May God forgive us all and save us from the evil works.
ahmed saleh March 29, 2013
Do we have detailed information about this Eritrean case before we condemn him for guiltiness
It is a recent memory when USA under Pres. BUSH to categorize Eritrean as one of terrorist group.
Well , unless you have full support on their prosecutorial system can’t he be an escape goat for
the catch .
Ali-lol March 29, 2013
You mean the New testament, right? but the old testament is full of shit and a joke!
David March 29, 2013
Grow up guys! An Eritrean national is arrested, irrepective of the crime that he might have committed or not, and you are fighting against each other.
Elsa March 28, 2013
An Eritrean Al Shabaab working for DIA. How many of them are there?
Tamrat Tamrat March 28, 2013
Isayas With the help of his pfdj and ypfdj has tried to use his foot soldiers in orthodox, protestant (were collecting Money during 98 war from ‘christians’), muslim. Just because the west is hunting alhabab doesnt mean other eri religious Groups are not contaminated by isayas policy. in my first experience, i was approched by pro-shabi-orthodox to joine ethio-eri orthodox special easter praying, eri-orthodox is more contaminated With pfdj than the eri-muslim. off course both eri-ortho and eri-muslim in the first Place a wrong idea as oppose to orthodox and muslim. we dont need special tag to Our religion unless we want to politcize it.
Romay Abraham March 29, 2013
This discussion should be over here. It is not to our advantage blaming each other. Blaming an eritrean kid as a terrorist by the USA is n.one sense
josef March 29, 2013
Now he’ll become a wife of gangsters for the next 9 years. Good luck to him.
Tamrat Tamrat March 29, 2013
Well said! He has to experience how innocent Girls exposed to gang rape by the unrest isayas and peopel like him.
daniel March 29, 2013
Let him rote in hell ,This stupid guy went all the way to Somalia to help Alshebab , when his country is ruled by one of the worst dictator , instead of helping his people who are suffering under this regime.
daniel March 29, 2013
Considering ,that he wasn’t sent to fight for Alshebab by Wedi Afom , if that is the case then I take back what I said on the previous comment.
Romay Abraham March 30, 2013
It is sad Eritreans blaming or insulting an Eritrean kid. According to Americans, every poor Moslem is a terrorist. Do you have the facts that this Eritrean kid is a member of Alshabab?
josef March 30, 2013
Dear romay do you know what to admit means? he admitted himself end of story. I hope you’re not one of those guys who waste their time counting America’s sins.