Wednesday, October 03, 2012
by Laura Yuen
MINNEAPOLIS — The mother of a Minneapolis college student killed in Somalia while fighting for a terrorist group said her son wouldn't have been able to travel back to his homeland in 2008 without help.
Abayte Ahmed testified Wednesday morning in the trial of Mahamud Said Omar, who is accused of helping send young Twin Cities men to fight for al-Shabab.
Ahmed said her son, Jamal Aweys Sheikh Bana, left Somalia when he was younger than 2 years old, and primarily spoke English. She said Bana was a hard worker at Normandale College and MCTC, but wouldn't know how to buy a plane ticket on his own.
Ahmed said she saw Bana for the last time on the morning of Nov. 3, 2008. She said the night before her son left, he told her he was going to see a male friend for dinner, but didn't identify the friend. Upon cross-examination, she said she had never seen Omar before today.