Isis - a terrorist carrying the organization's flag. — The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as ISIL or Daesh, is a militant Sunni jihadist organization that once controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria but has since been territorially defeated. Despite losing its self-proclaimed "caliphate," ISIS continues to operate as a decentralized insurgency through regional affiliates across the globe and through online radicalization.

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS after allegedly trying to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist organization, federal authorities announced Thursday.

Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan was taken into custody after an FBI investigation revealed his repeated attempts to reach Somalia under false pretenses. Authorities say he twice attempted to leave Minnesota for Somalia in December 2024, despite having no family there, and carried documents including his birth certificate, naturalization certificate, and high school diploma.

The criminal complaint alleges that Hassan publicly supported ISIS through social media posts and engaged with a Facebook account affiliated with the Manjaniq Media Center, a propaganda outlet promoting travel to join ISIS. Authorities also say he praised Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who carried out an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans on January 1.

Further investigation found that Hassan posted videos of himself driving while holding an ISIS flag and, on one occasion, displayed an open knife on his lap. On February 26, the FBI observed him once again driving with an ISIS flag in his possession.

Hassan has been charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, where he was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing.

The FBI and the Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar and Trial Attorneys Ryan White and Charles Kovats Jr. of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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