US adds American, Kenyan Shabaab leaders to list of designated terrorists

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Omar Hammami gives a public eulogy for Osama bin Laden in May in Afgoye. Reuters photo.

On July 29, the US Treasury Department targeted two senior leaders of Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia, designating them as global terrorists. The designation allows the US to freeze the assets of the two leaders, prevent them from using financial institutions, and prosecute them for terrorist activities.

The two men were identified as Omar Hammani and Hassan Mahat Omar. Hammani, an American citizen, was described as a senior military commander and recruiter who is directly linked to al Qaeda, while Omar, a Kenyan citizen, is said to be a senior leader, ideologue, recruiter, and fundraiser.

The American: Omar Hammami

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Omar Hammami and Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansour, at the bin Laden rally in Afgoye.

Treasury described Hammami “as one of al Shabaab’s key figures,” and said he serves as a “military tactician, recruitment strategist, and financial manager” for the Somali terror group.

“Hammami has commanded guerilla forces in combat, organized attacks and plotted strategy with al Qaeda,” the Treasury press release stated. “He was also involved in organizing a suicide bombing attack carried out by a Somali-American from Minnesota who traveled to Somalia to join al-Shabaab. That attack, and four others organized by Hammami and carried out in October 2008, killed more than 20 people.”

Hammami is also linked to “an attempt to increase recruiting among Somalis, including Somali

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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2 Comments

  • MSMII says:

    It is simply amazing that the best leaders of the Somali terror group are not Somali yet Shabaab continues to say they want to push foreigners out of their country.

  • Thomas Craig says:

    This terrorist should be killed or captured, and not regarded any longer as an American. His true allegiance is clear.

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