Concern Over Al Shabaab Recruiting in the U.S.

Concern Over Al Shabaab Recruiting in the U.S.

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5055773_sThe sheriff of the county with the largest Somali population in the United States called for federal support to counter recruitment by the Somalia-based terrorist group al Shabaab during a House hearing in Washington. This according to Fierce Homeland Security.

Sheriff Richard Stanek of Hennepin County, Minn., told the House Homeland Security Committee that the sheriff’s office would benefit from access to classified federal databases. “This will allow us to connect the dots in real time between local law enforcement sensitive information and classified data,” he said.

He also requested that county officers who serve on the FBI’s Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force be allowed to maintain their security clearances when they return to the sheriff’s office. Stanek said he would like to receive more guidance from the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the Homeland Security Department about what motivates Somali Americans to join al Shabaab overseas. He said dozens of young men from Minnesota are believed to have done so since 2007.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Al Shabaab perpetrated the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya in September, killing more than 60 people. Michael Scheuer, a former CIA officer who is now a professor at Georgetown University, said that Americans who return from terrorist groups overseas to recruit are particularly threatening. They can pass along the knowledge they gained about weapons and explosives, are more skilled in organization building, and have new contacts around the world. The fact that they have fought overseas and survived demonstrates to them and some in their communities that “God was pleased by their actions and made them successful,” Scheuer said.

The influx of foreign fighters seems to help drive the progression of terrorist groups from focusing on local and regional grievances to international efforts, he added.