One of the three San Diego men accused of raising money for the Somali Islamic terror group al-Shabab waived his right today to be set free on bail.
Basaaly Moalin told U.S. Magistrate Judge William Gallo today that he would not ask to be released on bail for now.
His Attorney Marc Geller called him a model citizen.
“He’s a family man, Geller said. “He’s a taxi driver. He’s a U.S. Citizen. He has no prior record of any kind. And I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest he’s involved in any of the alleged events.”
Moalin appeared with co-defendants Issa Doreh and Mohamed Mohamud who is an imam at a City Heights mosque.
Moalin, Doreh and Mohamud have been charged with providing money to al-Shabab and conspiring to kill in a foreign country.
The three jailed men are in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, dozens of supporters showed up in court today. Edgar Hopida of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says his group is monitoring the case.
“What we’re concerned about is the Somali community here who are by far peaceful, hardworking community members, Hopida said. We hope they do not become demonized because of this case. We hope that the FBI respects the civil rights of the Somali community in San Diego County.”
Hopida said he has no evidence that the men's rights have been violated. However, he said “Whenever these kind of cases happen, the FBI tends to overreact. The Somali community is very fearful right now t hat their community is under attack and that’s why we’re hoping that the civil rights of the Somali Community is respected by the FBI.”
Somali student Mohamed Ali said Imam Mohamud is a well-respected leader who has lured many young men away from gangs and drugs in favor of religion.
