Authorities have been tracking youths who have traveled Syria or are trying to do so to fight with militants, including the Islamic State group. Spokesman for the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ben Petok, said that they have arrested suspects in Minneapolis and San Diego but there are no public safety threats. Details about the charges have not been provided and he said more information would be released on Monday at a news conference by the U.S Attorney’s Office and the FBI. The news conference was billed in a press release as an announcement of a joint terrorism task force operation.
Spokesman for the Minneapolis office of the FBI said 6 people had been arrested on Sunday without providing any further details.
According to authorities a few Minnesota residents have travelled to Syria for fighting with militant with the last one year with one Minnesotan who died while fighting for the Islamic State.
More than 22 Somali men have records of travelling from Minnesota to Somalia for joining the militant group Al-Shabaab since 2007, while 4 Minnesotans have been charged with connection to supporting terror groups in Syria, along with the ISIS.
19-year-old Hamza Ahmed, had been stopped at a New York City airport in November as he along with three more were attempting to travel to Syria. He had been accused with charges of lying to the FBI terrorism investigation, conspiring to provide material support to ISIS along with attempting to provide material support. He has pleaded not guilty.
No public charges had been filed against the three of his companions with very little information released about them. According to an FBI affidavit, these men are all between 19 to 20 years of age and residents of the Twin Cities.
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