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Monday, February 23, 2026

Tag: Al-Shabaab
December 23, 2025
Immigration
NatSec

African Man Gets Life Sentence for Planning 9/11-Style Attack.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A Kenyan man was sentenced to life in prison for planning a terrorist attack on Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza in 2019.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a member of the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab, and U.S. federal prosecutors.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Sentencing took place Monday; the plot targeted Atlanta, Georgia, and involved actions in Somalia, the Philippines, and the U.S.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “Abdullah admitted to FBI agents that he was training to become a pilot on behalf of al-Shabaab so he could hijack a plane.” – U.S. Department of Justice

🎯IMPACT: Abdullah was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for conspiring to commit a 9/11-style attack.

IN FULL

Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a 34-year-old Kenyan man, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison on Monday, December 22, 2025, for plotting to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into Atlanta‘s Bank of America Plaza, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Abdullah, a member of the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab, was convicted on November 4, 2024, for multiple terrorism-related crimes.

Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015 and underwent extensive military-style training in Somalia, including firearms and explosives training. He later enrolled in a flight school in the Philippines between 2017 and 2019, where he trained to become a commercial pilot as part of a larger plan to carry out a mass-casualty terrorist attack on behalf of al-Shabaab. His tuition was financed by the group, which funds its operations—in part—through extortion in Somalia.

Prosecutors revealed that Abdullah researched U.S. transit visas, airplane cockpit security, and the feasibility of smuggling weapons onboard flights. He specifically targeted the 55-story Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, as the site of his planned attack. Abdullah admitted to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents that he expected to die in the attack and acknowledged that others would be killed or injured.

The DOJ detailed that Abdullah was arrested in the Philippines in July 2019, just before completing the final requirements for his commercial pilot license. He was transferred to U.S. custody in December 2020. His conviction included charges such as conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, among others.

Concerningly, the recent social services fraud scandal that has gripped Tim Walz’s Minnesota has likely seen the state’s Somali immigrant community funnel possibly over one billion in taxpayer dollars to al-Shabaab. Governor Walz (D) has defiantly pledged to bring more Somali immigrants to his state despite the scandal.

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December 3, 2025
Immigration
News

Minneapolis Police Chief Calls on Somali Community to Report Masked ICE Agents, Pledges Intervention.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara urged Somalis to call 911 on masked individuals detaining people—clearly referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—suggesting they might be kidnappers.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the Somali community, ICE, and President Donald J. Trump.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: December 3, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Folks that are masked—when people aren’t sure if they’re law enforcement, or if they may be kidnapping people—we have had those reports.” – Brian O’Hara

🎯IMPACT: Heightened tensions between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement, amid Trump’s recent remarks on Somali immigrants.

IN FULL

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara is urging members of the Minnesota city’s Somali and broader immigrant communities to stay alert and contact 911 if they witness masked individuals detaining people, warning that such encounters could involve kidnappers rather than legitimate law enforcement. O’Hara stressed the need for residents to be able to distinguish between authorized officers and potentially dangerous impersonators, saying the department will investigate every report and reminding officers of their obligation to intervene if they observe supposed human rights violations.

“Folks that are masked—when people aren’t sure if they’re law enforcement, or if they may be kidnapping people—we have had those reports. I want to be clear to the community: the community should know that if you see something like that and you don’t know whether someone is law enforcement, you should call 911 and provide as much information as possible,” O’Hara said.

His comments follow reports that a large federal immigration operation is being prepared in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, with more than 100 agents reportedly assigned to target Somalis.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) reiterated the city’s refusal to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on civil immigration enforcement, reaffirming a long-standing policy that blocks local involvement in federal immigration actions, despite the threat migrant criminals pose to the public.

President Donald J. Trump has strongly criticized Somali immigrants in recent days, linking them to crime and other social problems. “Somalians ripped off [Minnesota] for billions of dollars. Every year, billions of dollars, and they contribute nothing. The welfare is like 88 percent. I don’t want them in our country,” he said.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with tens of thousands residing primarily in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Notably, the community has faced scrutiny amid investigations into public-assistance fraud involving Somali-run businesses or individuals. Somali medicaid fraud may have cost American taxpayers as much as a billion dollars or more, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Some of the money may even have been funneled to terrorist groups like the radical Islamist al-Shabaab organization.

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December 1, 2025
William Upton
Corruption

Trump’s Treasury Department Is Investigating Tim Walz, Biden Govt Over Somali Medicaid Fraud.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Treasury is investigating allegations of tax dollars being diverted to al-Shabaab and other Somali Islamist terrorist groups due to mismanagement of public funds by Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and the former Biden government.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Donald J. Trump, Gov. Walz, and the former Biden government.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Statement issued by Bessent on December 1, 2025, via X (formerly Twitter).

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “At my direction, [the U.S. Treasury] is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.” – Scott Bessent

🎯IMPACT: The investigation aims to ensure American taxpayers are not unwittingly funding terrorism and uncover alleged malfeasance and corruption by Walz and the former Biden White House.

IN FULL

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced late Monday that the Treasury Department has launched an investigation into allegations of mismanagement by Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and the former Biden government, which allowed over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to be funneled by members of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community to Islamist terrorist groups in their home country, including al-Qaeda franchise al-Shabaab. The National Pulse reported earlier on Monday that Gov. Walz is facing allegations leveled by members of his own administration that he ignored evidence of the Medicaid fraud scheme and instead retaliated against the whistleblowers, apparently in an attempt to cover up the corruption.

“At my direction, [the U.S. Treasury] is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab,” Sec. Bessent wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He continued: “Thanks to the leadership of [President Donald J. Trump], we are acting fast to ensure Americans’ taxes are not funding acts of global terror.”

“We will share our findings as our investigation continues,” the Treasury Secretary added.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, around 400 Minnesota Department of Human Services employees accused Gov. Walz of enabling and then attempting to cover up a massive Medicaid fraud scheme enacted by members of the state’s Somali immigrant community. “Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,” the workers wrote.

The Minnesota state government workers continued: “Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL members and an indifferent mainstream media.”

Around 100 autism clinics in Minnesota are currently being investigated for Medicaid billing fraud involving autism treatments, with the scheme being linked to a number of members of the Somali immigrant community in Minneapolis. It is estimated that over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars was stolen through the scheme, with some of the ill-gotten funds then funneled to Somalia in support of Islamist terrorist organizations, such as al-Shabaab.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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April 3, 2024
Immigration
NatSec

Feds ‘Accidentally’ Released Somali Terrorist on FBI Watch List.

A known member of the Somali terrorist group al Shabaab was able to reside in the U.S. for almost a year due to an error by federal agencies. The 27-year-old man, still unnamed, was already listed on the terrorist watchlist for his involvement in explosives and weapons trafficking. Despite his criminal background, he was released after being detained for illegal entry in California in March 2023. His rearrest only happened this January in Minnesota.

Republican lawmakers are now seeking explanations for the oversight. A letter from these lawmakers questioned the possibility of a Non-Governmental Organization’s (NGO) involvement in the terrorist’s transportation to Minnesota, either directly or indirectly.

“Due to Minnesota’s far distance from the border, it is not an easy task for migrants to travel to the state,” the letter reads. “Did the al-Shabbab terrorist travel to Minnesota with the assistance, either direct or indirect of an NGO? If so, which NGO was responsible for transporting the individual to Minnesota?”

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) held the Biden administration accountable for this incident. “The Biden administration’s open-borders agenda allowed a known terrorist to roam freely throughout our state, and now they must answer for their inexcusable negligence,” Emmer said in a statement.

News of the Somali terrorist’s mistaken release is likely to add to already heighten public concerns about terrorists crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. It follows the March apprehension of a Hezbollah terrorist at the border, who confessed his intent “to make a bomb” and target New York.

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A known member of the Somali terrorist group al Shabaab was able to reside in the U.S. for almost a year due to an error by federal agencies. The 27-year-old man, still unnamed, was already listed on the terrorist watchlist for his involvement in explosives and weapons trafficking. Despite his criminal background, he was released after being detained for illegal entry in California in March 2023. His rearrest only happened this January in Minnesota. show more