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Former D.C. cabbie detained in Somalia on terror charges

By Amy R. Connolly
A former Washington, D.C.-area taxi driver who was on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list was detained by the Somalian government. Image courtesy FBI
A former Washington, D.C.-area taxi driver who was on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list was detained by the Somalian government. Image courtesy FBI

MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 3 (UPI) -- A former Washington, D.C.-area cabbie who was on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list was detained by the Somalian government.

Liban Haji Mohamed, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Somalia, was detained shortly after a warrant for his arrest was unsealed. He was added to the FBI's wanted list in late January.

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Mohamed is charged with providing material support to al-Qaida and al-Shabaab, a Somali-based group designated in 2008 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States government. In putting him on the list, FBI officials said Mohamed's vast knowledge of the area would help in a possible attack on U.S. soil. The FBI said Mohamed, 29, lived in Alexadria, Va. and likely left the United States in July 2012 with a U.S. passport. "While living in Northern Virginia, Mohamed was a recruiter and radicalizer for al-Shabaab, which historically has targeted Westerners to go to Somalia and fight for them," said Carl Ghattas, special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the FBI's Washington Field Office. "Not only did Mohamed choose to go to Somalia and fight with al Shabaab, he took a prominent role in trying to recruit people and have them train with weapons."

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The FBI had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. They also launched an online campaign on Facebook.

An attorney for Mohamed's family said they are skeptical of the charges. It is unclear if he will be extradited.

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