ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two women were convicted today of
terrorism crimes related to their material support of al-Shabaab, a designated
foreign terrorist organization.
Muna Osman Jama, 36, of Reston, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 46,
of Kent, Washington, were found guilty of conspiracy to provide material
support to a foreign terrorist organization, and providing material support to
a foreign terrorist organization after a bench trial in front of U.S. District
Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
“Providing material support to foreign terrorist
organizations is a very serious crime,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for
the Eastern District of Virginia. “These women funneled money to a terrorist
organization which was conducting a violent insurgency campaign in
Somalia. National security is the top
priority in this office and we will continue to work closely with our law
enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who provide material
support to terrorists.”
“In addition to money they transferred in direct support of
al-Shabaab, these subjects recruited, solicited, and advised an online group
located in multiple countries as to how and where to transfer funds to this
terrorist organization,” said Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of
the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “In coordination of the group, these
subjects would then track and facilitate donations to ensure the money was
received by their co-conspirators located in Nairobi and Somaliland. Today's
guilty verdicts send a message that facilitation of financial support to a
designated terrorist organization equates to terrorist activity itself.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial,
Jama and Dhirane sent money to financiers of al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya,
which they referred to respectively as the “Hargeisa side” and the “Nairobi
side.” The defendants also organized
what was called a “Group of Fifteen,” which included women from Somalia, Kenya,
Egypt, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The “Group of
Fifteen” met regularly in a private chatroom that Jama established to organize
and track monthly payment of money to the “Hargeisa side,” which was used to
finance al-Shabaab military operations in the Golis Mountains in northern
Somalia, and the “Nairobi side,” which was used to fund two al-Shabaab
safehouses. One of the safehouses was
used by al-Shabaab to store weapons and to prepare for attacks. The other was used to treat al-Shabaab
fighters who had been wounded in battle.
A substantial part of the government’s case consisted of
recorded telephone calls and other communications among the “Group of
Fifteen.” These recordings demonstrated
that the women had close connections with al-Shabaab leadership and were privy
to non-public, inside information concerning al-Shabaab activities. Jama and Dhirane were recorded as they
laughed as the carnage at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi was still taking place. Dhirane and co-conspirator were also recorded
as they laughed at the Boston Marathon Bombing before it became known who
committed the attack.
Jama and Dhirane each face a maximum penalty of 15 years in
prison when sentenced on January 19, 2017.
The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided
here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be
determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other
statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia;
Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field
Office; and Jay S. Tabb, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle
Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was announced. Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Gillis and
Trial Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh of the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice
Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle also
provided assistance.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington, D.C. and
Seattle Field Offices. The Justice
Department’s Office of International Affairs also played an essential role in
coordinating the arrests and searches with foreign authorities.
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