AP: Young Somali men were lured by charismatic recruiter

Somali flag (Image: Wikipedia)

Why would young Somali men living in Minnesota return to their war-ravaged homeland to wage jihad? That’s the thorny question that’s been debated by the Somali community and federal investigators since the mysterious disappearances of as many as 20 young men surfaced last year.

A new Associated Press story provides some additional insight into the tools employed by the al-Shabaab terrorist network, which is believed to be at the center of the recruiting campaign. The group, which purportedly has ties to al-Qaeda, utilized YouTube videos glorifying martyrdom, phone calls from Somalia and secret meetings in Minneapolis to entice the young men into the fold. The AP story also fingers the possible key role of a man named Zakaria Maruf:

Stephen Smith, an attorney who represents several young Somalis questioned by authorities, said his clients describe Maruf as someone with a bravado that appealed to younger men he met on the basketball court or at mosques.

Smith said one of his 18-year-old clients got a phone call from Maruf, in Somalia, asking him to join the fight. Maruf and the teenager also exchanged e-mails and had a brief conversation in a chat room, Smith said.

Smith said the teen didn’t go but felt uncomfortable turning down someone he looked up to.

Maruf’s whereabouts aren’t known. Some family members say they believe he was killed in Somalia last month, but federal officials could not confirm that.

At least three of the young men recruited to travel to Somalia have since died. Three other would-be jihadists, who eventually returned to the United States, have pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges.

Related:

‘Missing youth’ story rattles local Somali community

Are jihadist groups luring Minnesota Somalis back to fight?