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Ellison calls for probe on reported abuse during Somali deportation flight

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MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) – U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, called Thursday for an investigation into reported mistreatment of Somali nationals on an attempted deportation flight earlier this month, during which detainees say they were shackled for hours, beaten and denied access to a working bathroom.

Ellison’s district contains the largest community of Somali-Americans in the country, many of whom he says have contacted his office to “express grave concern” over the incident.

He’s now calling for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to submit a detailed account of the two days in question–Dec. 7 to Dec. 9–during which 92 Somali nationals in ICE custody were grounded on an airplane in Dakar, Senegal. Ellison is also asking for ICE to delay the deportations of all detainees whose cases are pending legal review.

Earlier this week a federal judge in Florida issued a temporary restraining order blocking the group’s deportation until a hearing on Jan. 2, with another judge extending that order Thursday for 20 detainees until Jan. 8.

Five of the 92 people currently in ICE custody are from Minnesota, though two of those men have now been cleared to remain in the United States until their amnesty proceedings end while another had a similar request denied by a federal judge in Minnesota. Advocates said he will “likely” be deported after the Jan. 8 hearing.

In the meantime, Ellison is asking the agency to answer the following:

  • Why did the plane return to the U.S.?
  • Why were individuals with medical needs not allowed accommodations for their health, such as the detainee with diabetes who was not given access to his medication?
  • What disciplinary actions will be taken against the ICE officers who struck and choked detainees or otherwise used excessive force during the tarmac delay, given that all detainees were wearing restraints and could not pose a threat to the officers?
  • Why are individuals with pending legal review of their cases being deported?
  • How many individuals were the subject of signed deportation orders?

ICE maintains that all of the allegations made by the detainees are false, saying in a statement, “no one was injured during the flight, and there were no incidents or altercations that would have caused any injuries on the flight.”

Representatives from the agency also claimed that the detainees were seen by medical professionals and that no injures were noted at that time.

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Minnesota

Court Records: Mall of America Stabbing Suspect Pleads Guilty, Calls it Act of Jihad

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KTSP — On Thursday, 20-year-old Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham pleaded guilty to stabbing two men at the Mall of America.

The incident occurred on Nov. 12, where authorities say he stabbed two brothers in a dressing room at the mall’s Macy’s.

At the plea hearing Thursday, Abdiraham’s attorney read a statement — which is public record — to the courtroom, which explained why he attacked the two men.

In the statement, Abdiraham said he went to the Mall of America to answer the “call for jihad by the Chief of Believer, Abu-bakr Al-baghdadi, may Allah protect him, and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State.”

The statement added, “I understand that the two men I stabbed know and have explained the reason for my attack, and I am here reaffirming that it was indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah.”

Abdiraham also said in the statement that Americans will not be safe as long as “your country is at war with Islam.”

RELATED: Man Charged in Connection to MOA Stabbing Declared Mentally Ill Last June

Omar Jamal, an activist with a Somali watchdog group, said he is aware of the statement.

“This is a widespread sentiment with Somali youth,” he said.

Jamal said the federal government’s effort to make it difficult for would-be jihadists to travel abroad and join a terrorist group has had unintended consequences locally.

“What is very concerning in this instance, is the fact that youth are exploring more ‘How can I do something here, what weapons are accessible,'” he said.

A spokesman for the FBI said the agency is aware of the statement, but could not comment.

A representative for the Bloomington Police Department said it doesn’t condone any act when people are hurt or could have been killed.

Abdiraham’s public defender declined to comment.

The two victims are out of the country, but court documents say they plan to return in time for Abdiraham’s sentencing in February.

If authorities determine the stabbing was an act of terrorism, there could be more legal consequences for Abdirahahm.

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Super Bowl brings massive security resources to Minneapolis

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MINNEAPOLIS – Concrete barriers and chain-link fencing are going up around the site of the Super Bowl in downtown Minneapolis, where a contingent of local, state and national agencies is working to ensure that the game and dozens of related events are safe.

The downtown location of the Feb. 4 title game has presented challenges for authorities, who have had to get creative as they carved a secure perimeter around businesses and a major hospital near U.S. Bank Stadium. But it’s not the first time the Super Bowl has dealt with the challenges of a city center, and authorities who have spent roughly two years thinking about every possible scenario say they are prepared.

“We’re ready for anything that may come our way,” Minneapolis Police Commander Scott Gerlicher said. “It’s about not just feeling safe, but making sure people are in fact safe.”

Gerlicher, whose department is overseeing security, said this Super Bowl will have the largest deployment of federal resources yet. That’s because Minneapolis has a relatively small department – less than 900 officers compared with the roughly 5,000 in Houston, where last year’s game was held – and needed more personnel.

Dozens of other cities are sending officers too, and the Minnesota National Guard has been activated. An additional 10,000 volunteers are being trained to spot suspicious activity.

Visitors can expect to see increased police patrols, bomb-sniffing dogs, helicopters, officers in tactical gear, and that chain-link and concrete fence around U.S. Bank Stadium.

Plenty of technology such as motion detectors, closed-circuit cameras and air particle sensors will be operating behind the scenes. Giant machines are being used to scan shipments to the stadium. Extra security cameras will be sprinkled around the city, and NFL-sanctioned events will have metal detectors. Teams will be in place to react to whatever comes up.

“Our efforts are to make sure that it’s a warm and inviting atmosphere. But make no mistake about it – there are tons of watchful eyes from the law enforcement and public safety sectors,” said Alex Khu, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Minnesota and the federal coordinator for this year’s Super Bowl.

Because of the dense area around the stadium, some security screening will be happening off-site. They also had to figure out how to secure Super Bowl Live, a largely free-flowing, 10-day outdoor event that’s open to the public. Meanwhile, some events are being held in nearby St. Paul and at the Mall of America in Bloomington, while team hotels, practice facilities – and transportation to and from – also must be secured.

Jeffrey Miller, former senior vice president and chief security officer for the NFL, said each host city faces different challenges. In Minneapolis, perhaps the biggest is the weather. He said security staff may need to be doubled or tripled to keep people from being exposed to dangerous elements for a prolonged time.

“That’s a challenge, and it’s a costly one you don’t have if playing in San Diego,” he said.

Miller said setting up a perimeter around a downtown venue is more difficult than setting one up around a stadium surrounded by parking lots. Architects, engineers and other experts are part of the planning. For fans, he said, there are advantages to being downtown and close to the action.

“The NFL is really good at trying to balance security needs with the fan engagement part of the equation,” he said.

Miller said officials also have to take into account recent world events – meaning the possibility of a terror attack.

Joe Rivers, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in Minneapolis, said a threat assessment for the game has included analyzing attacks around the world. He cited the May bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, the Oct. 1 shooting at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas and the Oct. 31 vehicle attack on a New York City bike path. Without providing detail, Rivers said authorities used those attacks to shape their plans.

Local history must also be considered. Minneapolis has seen dozens of young men travel to Somalia or Syria to join extremist groups over the past decade. There also has been a stabbing attack at a central Minnesota mall and a more recent bombing of a local mosque.

“It’s impossible for us to ignore the historical cases that we’ve had here and the type of threats … that we’ve addressed,” Rivers said.

He said there is no credible threat to the Super Bowl, and authorities are continuing to gather intelligence. Rivers said his main concerns are low-tech threats, such as someone driving a vehicle into or firing a weapon at a crowd.

“Not to alarm anyone, but it’s not hard to come by weapons in this country and with where our venues are located and things like that, there’s no way we can possibly secure every single floor of every single building that can see a venue or can overlook a crowd, so those are concerns, yes,” he said.

Fans attending Super Bowl events can help by staying vigilant. In addition to calling 911, people who see something suspicious can call 1-800-CALL-FBI. In the event of something like the Boston Marathon bombing, the FBI has created a website where witnesses can upload videos and photos so the FBI can gather evidence quickly.

“Obviously, the best case scenario is that we hope that we do all of this … and no one never even realizes all the legwork that went into it on the front end,” Rivers said. “They just show up, have a good time, and leave and go home.”

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Minnesota

Federal judge claims jurisdiction over Somali deportation case

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A federal judge in Miami ruled Friday that his court has jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit challenging the deportation of 92 Somalis who are in detention centers in Florida.

The undocumented men and women were on a botched deportation flight on Dec. 7 bound for Somalia that was rerouted back to the U.S. after it made a stop in the West African country of Senegal.

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles had extended several times a temporary hold on the deportation of the Somalis, saying he needed time to weigh whether he has jurisdiction over the case. The government had argued that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction to hear the detainees’ cases.

In December, several detainees on the flight filed a class action lawsuit that claimed the men and women should not be deported because of the escalation of violence carried out by the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s failed attempt to send them to the East African nation.

Some of those on the flight said in the lawsuit that immigration agents physically and verbally abused them during the flight, which lasted for 40 hours, including 23 hours when the flight was on the ground at an airport in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.

“Based on the unique circumstances of this case, including the botched flight, the resulting news coverage, and escalation of violence in Somalia, the Court finds it has limited jurisdiction to ensure Petitioners are able to exercise rights afforded to them under U.S. law,” Gayles wrote in his ruling on Friday.

The detainees have requested the court stay their removal so they could apply to “reopen their removal cases to assert claims for asylum, withholding of removal, or relief under” the international convention against torture, according to a court document.

The government has argued that the Somalis could try to reopen their cases from Somalia. But Gayles said that was impossible.

“The Court finds troubling that the government would seek to immediately re-remove Petitioners when their claims arose, in great part, from the government’s own alleged misconduct,” Gayles wrote. “Petitioners cannot effectively pursue motions to reopen from Somalia where they would likely be forced underground to avoid persecution immediately upon arrival. The Court is unpersuaded by the government’s position that Petitioners can meaningfully pursue a motion to reopen from Somalia. It is unclear how Petitioners could access their immigration files or witnesses in the United States with relevant information pertaining to the December 7th flight, all the while attempting to avoid persecution in Somalia.”

A status conference on the case is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. at the United States District Court in Miami.

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