Minneapolis, Minn. — A Canadian citizen born in Somalia has been charged with conspiring to support to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Authorities said the man acknowledged being at training camps in Afghanistan at the same time as Osama bin Laden.
Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, a 30-year-old who lived and went to school in Minneapolis, Minn., was charged in a federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
The indictment alleges that from March 2000 until his arrest last month, Mr. Warsame conspired to provide material support and resources for Mr. bin Laden's terror network.
A related affidavit said Mr. Warsame admitted to FBI agents that he was at training camps in Afghanistan in 2000 and 2001, the same time as Mr. bin Laden. Neither the affidavit nor the indictment contained any other details about the alleged conspiracy.
“The charge against Warsame is a grim reminder that al-Qaeda, aided by agents and cells in this country, continues its shadowy efforts to destroy the lives and freedoms of the people in the United States,” Attorney General John Ashcroft said.
News reports have linked Mr. Warsame to terror suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, who is the subject of the only U.S. prosecution related to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Moussaoui also was arrested in Minnesota and now awaits trial in Virginia on federal conspiracy charges.
Federal officials have refused to address the reported connections between Mr. Warsame and Mr. Moussaoui, and their statement to the media Wednesday did not mention Mr. Moussaoui.
Mr. Moussaoui was arrested while learning to fly a Boeing 747 at a Minnesota flight simulator school two years ago.
Mr. Warsame was a student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. His arrest and the secrecy have been a subject of concern in the local Somali community, which numbers an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 and is believed to be the largest in the United States.
The indictment was unsealed following an appearance by Mr. Warsame in federal court in New York on Wednesday. Mr. Warsame was held without bond pending his return to Minneapolis, prosecutors said.
He was flown from Minneapolis to New York in late December, but it was not known why the move occurred.
Attorney Sam Tokin, who represented Mr. Warsame on Wednesday, said his client did not enter a plea, and will be arraigned in Minneapolis. He declined to detail the allegations against Mr. Warsame.
U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Karen Bailey said Mr. Warsame's Minneapolis court date has not been set. She said he was still being held in New York.
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