Prosecutors Outline Recruitment Of US Somalis
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A federal court filing in Minneapolis sheds new light on the way prosecutors believe Somali men living in Minnesota were recruited to fight with a terror group in their homeland.
At least 21 men are believed to have left the Minneapolis area since 2007 to join the militant Islamic group al-Shabab in Somalia. It's classified as a terror group by the U.S. government.
Prosecutors said in a Friday court filing that recruiters held secret meetings, tested recruits on their knowledge of religion and events in Somalia, and rejected recruits who were too young out of fear their operation would be discovered.
The document comes as one defendant is scheduled to go to trial Tuesday on charges he played a role in the recruiting operation.
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