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Minnesota Senate Candidate Tafoya Warns of Rising Crime Amid Somali Gang Violence
Confirmed
In Short: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya is sounding the alarm over crime levels in Minnesota, citing Somali gang violence and a foiled terror plot.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya is sounding the alarm over crime levels in Minnesota, citing Somali gang violence and a foiled terror plot. Tafoya highlighted the arrest of an 18-year-old Somali American who planned a terrorist attack at the Mall of America.
The FBI thwarted the plot, which involved an 18-year-old man from Richfield, Minnesota, who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed carrying out a mass shooting at the Mall of America, targeting between 30 and 60 people.
Tafoya also referenced a fraud case involving Somali individuals. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen described Abdikerm Eidleh, 42, as a key leader in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which involved 79 people, mostly of Somali descent.
Eidleh was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, in a raid coordinated by the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies. He was charged with recruiting businesses and paying bribes to loot public money, collecting $5 million in kickbacks.
In another incident, Somali teens were involved in shootings that left law enforcement calling for a regional task force to address gang activity. One shooting involved over 100 rounds of ammunition being fired along a residential street.
Tafoya’s comments come amid concerns about the global reach of American law enforcement and the potential for individuals to evade justice by returning to Somalia. Somali authorities have not commented on Eidleh’s arrest.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) thanked federal law enforcement and local police for preventing the terrorist attack, while Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney Rosen praised the operation as a significant law enforcement and intelligence effort.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson emphasized the ongoing threat of terrorism, noting that the suspect was 100% committed to carrying out his jihad journey and had expressed support for foreign terrorist organizations.
The arrests and investigations underscore the active and continuing threat of terrorism in support of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations, highlighting the need for vigilance and cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
While Tafoya’s warnings reflect concerns about crime and terrorism, the sources have not established a direct link between Somali communities and increased criminal activity beyond the specific cases mentioned.
What this adds
The sources have not established a direct link between Somali communities and increased criminal activity beyond the specific cases mentioned.
Background
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature.
What's confirmed
- “This is a big fish,” US Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen told CBS News, calling Eidleh a key figure who recruited businesses and paid bribes to loot public money.
- Man Accused of Planning ISIS-Inspired Terror Attack A terrorism investigation has yielded an indictment against a Somali man from the Twin Cities accused of planning a mass casualty event at the Mall of America later this month, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday.
What's still developing
- "I can’t wait until I kill kuffar man. October 24 is the day insha Allah," one of the messages said.
- "We've seen it with fraud here. It's in the paperwork that the Feeding Our Future fraud was largely... in terms of percentage, probably 98%, Somali people involved in that fraud," she said.
- Mogadishu, Somalia – United States prosecutors have reached across the world to seize a leading suspect in a Minnesota fraud case, arresting him in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
- Flanagan, in a statement on X, wrote, "I’m relieved that a horrific attack on Minnesota was prevented and grateful for the actions of law enforcement."
- District Court for the District of Minnesota) Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan's campaign for more reaction to the terror plot arrest and to Tafoya's comments but didn't receive a response at the time this article was published.
- Rosen said Eidleh was "second in command" to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the scheme, who was just sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.
- "Eidleh was a key leader and was responsible for bribing and recruiting business to steal from the American taxpayer."
- Investigators allege Eidleh personally collected $5 million in bribes and kickbacks after instructing restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement.
- “He didn’t just buy the rifle; he also bought 30-round magazines, four of them, and 200 live rounds to be used in this attack. Over the course of this investigation, Mohamud repeatedly expressed support of foreign terrorist organizations,” Dotson said.
- Mohamud met with an undercover agent he believed to be a loyal member of ISIS to purchase an AK-47 rifle, knowing it would be used in a federal crime of terrorism, authorities said.
- “I wanna get martyred inshallah,” one of his messages said to a confidential informant.
- "And so this was his plan, and thank goodness for the FBI in Minneapolis here and local law enforcement for catching onto this plan and derailing it well in advance. This is a guy who has pledged his allegiance to ISIS. Again, he is of Somalian descent and terror is alive and well and thank God we averted this massive crisis."