A San Diego woman who conspired to provide material support to a terrorist organization based in Somalia was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison.
As part of her guilty plea, Nima Yusuf, 25, admitted that she conspired with four others -- identified in court papers as Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, Abdisalan Hussein Ali, Cabdulaahi Faarax and Abdiweli Yassin Isse -- to provide support to al-Shabaab in the form of money and personnel to work under the direction of the terrorist organization.
Yusuf was arrested in November 2010. She admitted sending $1,450 to the men, who were then fighting in Somalia for al-Shabaab, and to lying to federal agents about her financial support for the fighters.
According to court documents, Yusuf understood and supported al-Shabaab's military efforts.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Daphne Hearn said law enforcement is committed to keeping the country and communities safe.
"We will aggressively pursue those who choose to send money or other resources to organizations that support terrorist acts,'' Hearn said. "This is a serious crime against our country and our citizenry, and those who engage in these practices will meet the consequences of their actions in our judicial system.''
In a March 2010 phone call, Yusuf suggested that America was responsible for the 9/11 attacks and expressed hope for an even greater catastrophe in the future, according to court documents.
Hassan, Ali, Faarax and Isse are charged separately in a federal grand jury indictment in Minnesota for conspiring to provide material support to al-Shabaab, among other offenses.
