A federal jury has convicted three Minnesota men for conspiring to join the Islamic State and commit murder in Syria.
It’s the largest multi-defendant Islamic State-related case to date in the U.S., according to a Justice Department statement released late Friday.
Guled Ali Omar, Abdurahman Yasin Daud and Mohamed Abdihamid Farah were found guilty of the terrorism charges Friday. Omar was also convicted on one count of attempted financial aid fraud and Farah on one count of perjury and providing a false statement.
“The defendants conspired with a larger group of individuals to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIL,” Assistant Attorney General Carlin said.
The three men, along with other conspirators, attempted to join Islamic State in Syria on two occasions in May 2014 and April 2015, but were unsuccessful in their travel plans.
Omar and two other members tried twice to leave the U.S. by crossing the southern border into Mexico near San Diego in May and November 2014. They failed both times.
Federal agents eventually arrested the three when they tried to board a flight from New York to Syria. The three men are among 10 Minnesotans who have been charged as part of a larger conspiracy to join the terrorist group.
Carlin also said it was imperative the public notify the government when they sense a member of the community is attempting to join a terrorist group.
“This trial should serve as a wake-up call that it will take the entire community to stop terror recruiting in Minnesota,” Carlin said. “Countering terrorist threats remains the highest priority of the National Security Division. We will continue to work to disrupt the recruitment and radicalization of Americans by terrorist organizations, and bring to justice those who conspire to provide material support to terrorists.”
