3 Kenyan-Born US citizens arrested while travelling to join ISIS in Somalia

Three Kenyan born US citizens Muse Muse, Mohamed Muse and Mohamioud Hajiarrested who were arrested and charged in Michigan on Tuesday for attempting to travel to Mogadishu to join Isis. [Photo: Courtesy]

Three Kenyan-born US citizens have been charged in a Michigan court over allegations they were planning to join a Somalia-based terror group.

FBI's Joint Terrorism Task-Force (JTTF) accused Muse Abdikadir Muse alias Muse Muse, 23, Mohamud Abdikadir Muse alias Mohamud Muse, 20, and Mohamed Salat Haji (Haji), 26, of planning to travel to Somalia to join the Islamic State locally referred to as Abnaa Ul Calipha.

They were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to support a terrorist organisation. The three are naturalised US-citizens born in Kenya.

Muse Muse was arrested at Gerald R Ford Airport in Grand Rapids as he attempted to travel to Mogadishu by rerouting to several other destinations. The rest were arrested at the same airport after dropping off a person they are accused of aiding to also travel to Somalia.

Videos of the three pledging allegiance to ISIS were seen as evidence of premeditation to be members of a terror organisation.

Plot of martyrdom

Materials recovered from their houses revealed a plot of martyrdom. It also revealed that they had worked out a plot to use car bombs and ram into "non-believers" if their plan to travel to Somalia failed.

They will spend up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. Somalia is home to al Qaeda and ISIS-allied terror groups.

This came as Kenya intensified her fight against terrorism following an attack in the capital Nairobi that claimed 21 lives last week.

There is speculation over the extent of involvement and radicalisation of Kenyan and Somalia-born Muslims and Somalis' support to al Shabaab and ISIS operations.

The arrests are evidence of multi-national cooperation and joint effort in eradicating global terrorism.

The FBI has several times relied on intelligence from the East African region, especially Kenya, to track down and dismantle terror cells in their homeland.

Kenya has been active in addressing the issue of terrorism, both within and outside. This has included President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to send troops to Somalia, under AMISOM, to fight al Shabaab.

Meanwhile, a man who told police he was an Al-Shabaab operative planning to attack a vital installation in Nairobi has pleaded guilty to four counts of giving false information.

Kevin Kitili Justus, alias Hussein Omar, alias Ali Ibrahim, yesterday pleaded guilty to five counts of travelling to a terrorist designated place, hoaxing, giving false information to a public official and making a false document against the law.

He allegedly informed a police officer at Leheley police barrier in Wajir early this month that he was a member of the terror group.