Eight charged in US for Somali war recruiting

By Todd Melby

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Authorities unsealed terrorism-related charges on Monday against eight defendants they said recruited young Somali-American men to return to their homeland to fight for an Islamist militant group.

The charges said men were recruited in Minneapolis mosques to fight for al-Shabaab, which the United States accuses of being al Qaeda's proxy in the Horn of Africa nation.

In all, authorities have charged 14 people with recruiting, training or financing travel for young Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, which is home to some 50,000 Somalis.

About 20 young men, all but one of Somali descent, have left the Minneapolis area since September 2007 to train with and fight for al-Shabaab, authorities said.

U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said all were recruited to fight in Somalia, and there was no indication any had been directed to come back to the United States to launch attacks on U.S. soil.

"The sad reality is that the vibrant Somali community here in Minneapolis has lost many of its sons to fighting in Somalia," Jones said.

"These young men have been recruited to fight in a foreign war by individuals and groups using violence against government troops and civilians," he said.

Five of those charged in a superseding indictment are not in custody and are believed to be outside the United States.