WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Federal authorities charged five individuals in the United States with supporting al-Qaida affiliated al-Shabaab, court records indicate.
Al-Shabaab is attempting to create an Islamic state in Somalia, which hasn't had a functioning government since the 1990s. The al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group has declared war on the African Union peacekeeping force in the war-torn country.
U.S. authorities announced San Diego residents Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh with conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabaab and conspiracy to kill in a foreign country. Mohamud Abdi Yusuf, a St. Louis resident, was indicted and arrested on four charges of support and helping to finance the terrorist group.
Minneapolis resident Mahdi Hussein was also linked to al-Shabaab financially, the U.S. Justice Department announced in unsealed indictments.
The Justice Department announced in August the indictment of 14 U.S. nationals accused of supporting al-Shabaab. A Virginia man who pleaded guilty in a Virginia court in October to communicating threats against South Park creators said he collaborated with the terrorist group.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee that homegrown terrorists were becoming a growing security threat.
