Somali Court Hands Eight-Year Sentence to Al-Shabaab Extortionist

The tribunal disclosed that Macalin squeezed protection money for the terrorists by tipping off the Khawarij about freshly minted stores sprouting up in various neighborhoods like Hamar Weyne, Hamar Jajab, Waberi, Hodan, Howlwadaag, and Bondhere. He leaned on shop owners, shaking them down for cash, while also giving Al-Shabaab the scoop on property valuations, shop counts, and names.

Macalin raked in $200 every quarter from Al-Shabaab for his dirty work. The authorities nabbed him in January 2024.

This ruling comes on the heels of another verdict by the Banadir Regional Court, where a septuagenarian got slapped with a seven-year stretch in the clink and a $3,000 fine for funneling half a mil to Al-Shabaab.