Minneapolis terrorism trial opens with tension over lawyer, jury
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Mothers of the three young Somali men accused of plotting to join ISIL expressed concern for their sons and plead for greater understanding of their community from the public.
Ten prospective jurors dismissed Monday from the federal trial of three Somali-American men accused of plotting to join ISIL were let go because they told the judge they could not be impartial in the case.
The opening day of the trial ended with U.S. District Judge Michael Davis still questioning the last few of the first group of 50 potential jurors, or just half of the jury pool. Before recessing, Davis said he expected to have a jury by late-afternoon Tuesday and that opening statements would not begin until Wednesday.
Remarks from 10 of the 29 people dismissed Monday underscored the difficult task ahead in selecting a jury for a rare terrorism trial garnering international attention.
“When I first walked in, I already had the mind-set of them being guilty,” one woman told Davis.
Another quickly followed: “To be honest, I’m kind of uncomfortable even being in the room with them.”
Abdirahman Daud, 22; Mohamed Farah, 22, and Guled Omar, 21, are each accused of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to commit murder outside the United States on behalf of the group. The latter charge, the most serious, carries the possibility of life in prison.
They were arrested and charged last year as part of an intensive FBI investigation that resulted in charges against 10 young Somali-American friends — six of whom have pleaded guilty, while another successfully made it to Syria to join ISIL.
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