US man pleads guilty to al Shabaab support

UNITED STATES: An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in Minnesota to US charges of helping raise money for al Shabaab rebels in Somalia, prosecutors said.

Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date.

Mahamud, a US citizen who was indicted in June 2011, admitted to telling people in the Somali-American community in Minnesota the money would support a local mosque or orphans but using it instead to help send men to Somalia to join al Shabaab, according to a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. — Reuters