Somali Language At Issue In Terror Suspect Case
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Attorneys for a Somali man accused of helping finance fighters for the terror group al-Shabab say they want their own interpreter.
The defense says 45-year-old Mahamud Said Omar is proficient in a Somali dialect known as Af-Maay, spoken in southern Somalia.
The primary language in Somalia is Af-Mahaa.
While Omar speaks a little Af-Mahaa and a little English, attorney Matt Forsgren says Omar doesn't know enough of either for a case this serious.
Omar is charged in the recruitment of at least 21 men who authorities believe left Minnesota to join al-Shabab in Somalia.
The government opposes the request for an Af-Maay interpreter. Prosecutors played audio recordings that they say show Omar can speak Af-Mahaa and is "perfectly fluent" in that dialect.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)