This undated photo provided by the FBI shows Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, who turned himself in to authorities in Africa, the U.S. State Department said Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. A former Minnesota resident, Hassan joined al-Shabab in Somalia more than seven years ago and more recently went online to urge others to carry out violence on behalf of the Islamic State group, authorities said. (FBI via AP)
The Associated Press
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - A U.S. resident who's in custody in Somalia has denied that he's part of the Islamic State group and said he left al-Shabab in 2013 because it was unjustly killing people.
Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan spoke with Voice of America by phone Tuesday from prison.
The U.S. State Department says Hassan surrendered to Somali authorities last month. Hassan, who was known for tweeting jihadist comments under the name "Mujahid Miski," left Minnesota in 2008 to join al-Shabab in Somalia. He faces terrorism charges in the U.S.
He tells Voice of America (http://bit.ly/1ICIMCd ) that al-Shabab members raided his home last month. He escaped but was later arrested by the government.
He also says he has no plans to return to the U.S. to face charges.
FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 file photo, hundreds of newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area some 18 km south of Mogadishu, in Somalia. The defections of two American Islamic extremist fighters in Somalia highlight tensions within the insurgent group al-Shabab over whether it should remain affiliated to al-Qaida or switch allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to an al-Shabab commander Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 file photo, an armed member of the militant group al-Shabab attends a rally in support of the merger of the Somali militant group al-Shabab with al-Qaida, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. The defections of two American Islamic extremist fighters in Somalia highlight tensions within the insurgent group al-Shabab over whether it should remain affiliated to al-Qaida or switch allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to an al-Shabab commander Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo, File)
The Associated Press