Monday, July 29th, two Somali refugees living in Arizona were arrested attempting to board a flight to Egypt where they were planning to join ISIS. The Department of Justice announced the arrest of Ahmed Mahad Mohamed and Abdi Yemani Hussein, who attempted to board the flight in Tucson July 26th.
The two were planning to carry out a terrorist attack on U.S. soil in the name of ISIS if their plans to get on the flight foiled. Luckily, the FBI had been keeping tabs on the two, recording and monitoring their pledged support for ISIS, which led to their eventual arrest before they could cause any violence.
The Somali refugee men had also been hitting the gym for several months to apparently get stronger to perform beheadings. The men told the undercover FBI agent they were, “thirsty for blood” and expressed their desire to kill. The two had been living in Arizona. Mohamed had been granted lawful permanent residence status, and Hussein was still under refugee status.
Somalia is known for being a hotbed for terrorism recruitment. Luckily, President Trump has Somalia listed as one of the seven countries listed under the travel ban; but the lenient refugee policy of the Obama administration still lives on.
Mohamed and Hussein were caught, but one can only fear how many other refugees in the U.S. who have came from violent countries are still out there sympathetic to terrorist groups like ISIS. Not all refugees are like the two men caught, and many do want to flee their country, but the risk associated with light vetting for refugees is high.
Americans United for Values stands for the safety and freedom of all Americans. God Bless the FBI for stopping these two men, but we must remain cautious about how we approach refugee admittance from dangerous countries.