Harafa Hussein Abdi biography: 13 things about Minneapolis, Minnesota man

Harafa Hussein Abdi is a United States citizen born in Somalia. In 2015, he left the U.S. for Africa.

From 2015 to 2017, he and other individuals allegedly combined, conspired, confederated and agreed together and with each other to provide material support or resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. He is accused of joining a group of ISIS fighters at an ISIS camp in Somalia between 2015 and 2017.

In 2017, Abdi left the group and traveled to Hargeisa, Somalia where he was later arrested. In August 2017, he told someone in chats on an encrypted messaging application that he would “never” leave “jihad” although he had left the ISIS group

Abdi is a resident of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 1999, he entered the U.S.
2. In 2006, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and left the U.S. and traveled to Yemen. Between 2006 and 2009, he spent time in Yemen. and from Yemen, he tried to travel to the United Kingdom but he was denied entry so he returned to the U.S.
3. In 2011, when he was interviewed by U.S. law enforcement personnel because of irregularities in an application he submitted for a U.S. passport, he repeatedly declined to provide information about the nature of his activities while in Yemen.
4. In July 2014, he submitted an application for a U.S. passport.
5. On July 17, 2015, he flew from Minneapolis to Dallas, Texas, USA and boarded a flight in Dallas bound for Ethiopia via Qatar.
6. On September 26, 2016, he updated his Facebook profile picture with an image depicting flames rising from an explosion with the flames forming the shape of a hand with the index finger extended.
7. On October 7, 2016, he wrote on Facebook, “Make hijra inshAllah it will help, especially to a pure Islamic state”.
8. On November 12, 2016, he wrote on Facebook, “The Islamic state is around The corner to end this B-S it will flip the script and show the true face of the game that’s being played.” On November 15, 2016, he sent a Facebook message to someone saying, “I’m not in the United state I’m Islamic state and my leader is not a president his a khalifa”.
9. On January 16, 2017, he sent a Facebook message to someone saying, “34 moved from America and made hijra”. On January 21, 2017, he took to Facebook to share an audio clip in which he said, “Khilafa movement… Fly through America on our way to shoot New York up… We going to come and blow New York up.”
10. On August 26, 2017, he was arrested in Hargeisa in connection wit his suspected involvement in activities for an on behalf of ISIS in Somalia.
11. While he was in Somali custody, Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel interviewed him on September 7, 2017 and on October 7, 2017,.
12. In October 2023, he turned 41.
13. On February 16, 2024, a complaint was unsealed charging him with providing and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization  and receiving and conspiring to receive military-type training from a terrorist organization.