Minneapolis man sentenced to 8.5 years in federal prison for ISIS attempt in Somalia

Mike BungeSaturday April 25, 2026

A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after investigators say he tried to join ISIS and provide support to the extremist group.

U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, to 102 months behind bars, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Hassan had pleaded guilty in September 2025 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which the U.S. State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2014.

Court records say Hassan began consuming ISIS propaganda in 2024. He downloaded videos and written material from ISIS media outlets, including files titled “The life of a Mujahideen” and “The return of the Caliphate,” and shared violent content across his social media accounts.

He also acquired Arabic-language manuals on making explosives such as C4 and HMTD. Investigators say he searched for information on ammunition fabrication, sniper instruction and drone technology, and also looked up gun ranges and ISIS-inspired attacks online.

According to court documents, Hassan stayed in regular contact with ISIS recruiters in Somalia through social media. In November 2024, he messaged an account promoting ISIS propaganda and asked for help reaching someone in ISIS-controlled territory.

In those conversations, he referred to the people he was speaking with as “commander” and “uncle.” He also mentioned the “battlefield” in Somalia.

By December 2024, Hassan had quit his job, withdrawn his savings and purchased a one-way ticket to Somalia. “I will become ISIS straight away,” Hassan said, according to court documents.

FBI agents observed him attempting to leave Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Dec. 13, 2024. He was denied boarding because he lacked the proper travel documents.

Hassan later rebooked the same trip after obtaining additional paperwork. On Dec. 29, 2024, he flew from Minneapolis to Chicago on his way to Somalia.

Before he could board his international flight in Chicago, Customs and Border Protection agents intervened. In his carry-on bag, they found his birth certificate, naturalization certificate and high school diploma.

During the interview, Hassan first denied wrongdoing. He later admitted he believed in ISIS, had consumed its propaganda and wanted an Islamic caliphate established, court documents show.

“I did not believe in democracy and that America’s justice was in fact terrorism,” Hassan said, according to court documents.

Back in Minnesota, Hassan continued searching for ISIS attack material and posting about the group online. He praised the man who carried out the Jan. 1, 2025, ISIS-inspired attack in New Orleans that left 14 people dead and dozens more injured.

Hassan described the attacker as a “Muhaajid” and “the legend that killed the Americans,” according to court documents.

In late February 2025, Hassan created and posted his own ISIS-inspired videos. One showed him driving at night while holding a homemade black ISIS flag and displaying an open, long-bladed knife on his lap.

Agents arrested Hassan on Feb. 27, 2025. Authorities said he had the same knife on him and the homemade ISIS flag in his car.

A grand jury indicted Hassan in April 2025 on one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He later pleaded guilty in September 2025 before Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court.

Frank imposed the sentence on April 22, 2026.

“Hassan celebrated the 2025 murder of 14 innocent Americans in New Orleans—a senseless attack on American soil, attempted to travel in order to take up arms on behalf of ISIS, and when unable to get to his destination, promoted ISIS and al-Shabaab propaganda encouraging others to fight against the United States,” said FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson.

The FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Customs and Border Protection and the New York Police Department investigated the case.