Implications of an American Suicide Attacker in Somalia STRATFOR June 2, 2011 | 1959 GMT Implications of an American Suicide Attacker in Somalia <http://media.stratfor.com/files/mmf/4/6/4630505db8ca4533e1f95984c789fc8817c ca4cd_two_column.jpg> MUSTAFA ABDI/AFP/Getty Images African Union peacekeepers in southern Mogadishu on May 27 Somali militant group al Shabaab claimed June 2 on its website that the suicide bomber who killed three soldiers in a May 30 attack on an African Union peacekeeping base in Mogadishu was a 25-year-old Somali-American from Minnesota who moved to Somalia two years ago. The man, Abdullalli Ahmed, was quoted as saying the attack was in retaliation for how Christians have treated Muslim countries. If al Shabaab's claim is true, this would be the third confirmed suicide attack carried out by a Somali-American in Somalia. The first was a Minneapolis man named Shirwa Ahmed, who blew himself up in October 2008 in Somaliland. The second was an unnamed 19-year-old from Seattle who was part of a suicide attack in Mogadishu in September 2009. The fact that Abdullalli Ahmed and Shirwa Ahmed were from Minnesota is notable; STRATFOR research indicates that a few dozen Somali-Americans who studied at the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center in Minneapolis have been radicalized and moved to Somalia. U.S. authorities are concerned that al Qaeda franchises, of which Al Shabaab is one, are using Somalia as a safe haven to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. interests. However, it is notable that these three suspected bombers were directed or chose to fight in Somalia rather than trying to carry out attacks against the United States. In the near term, this means the threat posed by the influx into Somalia of radicalized Somali-Americans is localized in Somalia. However, it is possible those who survive could attempt to re-enter the United States using their U.S. passports, bringing their training and combat experience with them. <http://media.stratfor.com/images/clear.gif?n=196079&h=0&u=128209&t=13070459 63&j=197121> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, discuss-os...@yahoogroups.com. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor biso...@intellnet.org http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: osint-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: osint-dig...@yahoogroups.com osint-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
