Before '60 Minutes' interview, ISIL defendant Abdirizak Warsame detailed his story in unfinished book

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MPLS (red) Star Tribune:

Minnesota man to be on ''60 Minutes'' and detail influence of radical imam.

Stephen Montemayor

October 29, 2016

 

One of nine Minnesota men convicted in a federal ISIL recruitment case this year is preparing to tell his side of the story — how he and his family found a welcoming home in Minnesota after fleeing East Africa, and how he gradually came under the influence of radical Islamic views.

 

In an unpublished manuscript obtained by the Star Tribune, and in an interview to be aired Sunday night on “60 Minutes,’’ Abdirizak Warsame describes how he found counsel in the online lectures of a radical imam and reflected on his decision to later testify against friends knowing he would be labeled “a snitch or a traitor.”

 

“I honestly think it would be very stupid to have such an experience and not share it with others,” Warsame wrote.

 

Warsame will be sentenced next month along with eight others in the case.

 

His appearance on the popular CBS news program is the latest effort by the U.S. attorney’s office to offer defendants and their families a platform to discuss their concerns about radicalization in American neighborhoods. It is unclear if Warsame’s book will ever be published.

 

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“Minnesota man” on 60 minutes
Scott Johnson
Oct 31 2016

Abdirizak Warsame was the elected leader of the group of “Minnesota men” who sought to join ISIS until the FBI interrupted their plans in 2015. The government charged Warsame and others with conspiracy to support a foreign terrorist organization and with conspiracy to commit murder overseas.

 

When the FBI showed Warsame the mountain of evidence it had compiled against him and his friends, he agreed to plead guilty and cooperate at trial. Three of his friends went to trial; six pleaded guilty. (One is believed to have been killed in Syria. Another who was charged after trial is believed to be in Syria.) All nine “Minnesota men” who pleaded guilty before trial or were found guilty at trial are set for sentencing by Judge Michael Davis on November 14, 15 and 16.

 

In advance of their sentencing next month, two of the nine have made media appearances. Adnan Farah appeared for an interview with KSTP 5 that is covered in two segments, here (part 1) and here.

 

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