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Muna Osman Jama, Providing Material Support to Terrorists, Virginia 2016
A somber day for Virginia as two women, Muna Osman Jama, 36, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 46, are brought to justice for their involvement in providing material support to the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
According to court documents, Jama and Dhirane, both naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Somalia, sent money to financiers of al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya. They referred to these financiers as the ‘Hargeisa side’ and the ‘Nairobi side.’
The defendants organized a group known as the ‘Group of Fifteen,’ which included women from Somalia, Kenya, Egypt, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members of the group met regularly in a private chatroom that Jama established to organize and track monthly payments of money to the ‘Hargeisa side’ and the ‘Nairobi side.’
The ‘Hargeisa side’ was used to finance al-Shabaab military operations in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia, while the ‘Nairobi side’ was used to fund two al-Shabaab safehouses. One of the safehouses was used by al-Shabaab to store weapons and to prepare for attacks, while the other was used to treat al-Shabaab fighters who had been wounded in battle.
A substantial part of the government’s case consisted of recorded telephone calls and other communications among the ‘Group of Fifteen.’ These recordings demonstrated that the women had close connections with al-Shabaab leadership and were privy to non-public, inside information concerning al-Shabaab activities. Jama and Dhirane were recorded as they laughed at the carnage at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi while it was still taking place. Dhirane and co-conspirator were also recorded as they laughed at the Boston Marathon Bombing before it became known who committed the attack.
Muna Osman Jama was sentenced to 12 years, while Hinda Osman Dhirane was sentenced to 11 years. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI’s Minneapolis and Seattle Field Offices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis also provided valuable assistance to the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh prosecuted the case with assistance from C. Alexandria Bogle, Trial Attorney, Counterterrorism Section.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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