Court Case

USA v. Abdullahi Ahmed, Abdullahi

October 2019 (Updated December 20, 2021)
San Diego, CA
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)

A two-count indictment charged Canadian national and former San Diego resident Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi with providing, and conspiring with other individuals in the United States and Canada to provide, material support to terrorists engaged in violent activities in Syria, that is, a conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim persons in a foreign country. Abdullahi made his initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 25, 2019 following his extradition to the United States on charges that he conspired with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent activities in Syria. Abdullahi pled guilty in December 2021, admitting that he conspired with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent activities such as murder, kidnapping, and maiming of persons in Syria.

Case Updates

2021-12-20 | Former San Diego Resident Pleads Guilty to Funding ISIS Terrorist Activities in Syria

Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi, a Canadian national and former resident of San Diego, pleaded guilty in federal court in December 2021, admitting that he conspired with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent activities such as murder, kidnapping and maiming of persons in Syria. He admitted that he provided money to his four cousins, including an 18-year old Minneapolis resident, as well as former San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain, to support their terrorist activities in Syria. From November 2013 through March 2014, with financial assistance from Abdullahi for the purchase of airline tickets and subsistence abroad, Douglas and the others traveled from the San Diego and Minneapolis and Edmonton, Canada to Syria, where they joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, and engaged in armed battles to gain control of the territories and civilian populations within Syria on behalf of ISIS. All five individuals were subsequently reportedly killed fighting for ISIS. Douglas McCain, a former San Diego resident, is the first known American to die fighting for ISIS. According to the plea agreement, Abdullahi has agreed to a term of imprisonment of 20 years.

2019-10-25 | Canadian National Extradited to San Diego to Face Terrorism Charges

Canadian national and former San Diego resident Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi made his initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 25 following his extradition to the United States on charges that he conspired with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent activities in Syria. Abdullahi is charged in a two-count indictment with conspiring with several Canadian and U.S. citizens, including Douglas McCain ("Douglas"), the first known American who died fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) on or about August 25, 2014. Douglas resided in San Diego prior to departing the United States for Turkey, and eventually, Syria.

Case Documents