A San Diego woman charged with helping a Somalia-based terror group will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future. The defense did not ask for bail because of the woman’s immigration status.
Defense attorney Charles Rees said it would have been futile to request bail for Nima Ali Yusuf because she is not a U.S. citizen. Even if federal authorities had released her on bail, Rees said Yusuf would automatically be placed in an Immigration Custom Enforcement facility.
Yusuf is accused of sending $800 to al-Shabab fighters who originated from Minneapolis. According to an FBI intercept of a phone conversation, Yusuf acknowledged that sending money to al-Shabab fighters could get her into trouble.
In another conversation, the FBI said Yusuf told a friend, “I am so Shabaab, ooh my gosh, 100 percent.”
Yusuf has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
