Source: Fox 9 News
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) -He was the second known American killed while fighting for ISIS in Syria, and the second from Minnesota -- and a Fox 9 exclusive uncovering his employment history is raising a few eyebrows.
An airport is probably the last place anyone would want a suspected terrorist to work, but before he died overseas, that's exactly what Abdirahmaan Muhumed did in the Twin Cities. In fact, he may have cleaned your plane at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Before he died, Muhumed left behind a trail of selfies and questions. Who recruited him to join the terror group, andhow did he support himself and 9 children? Multiple sources tell Fox 9 News that, for a time, he worked at a job that gave him security clearance at the airport, access to the tarmac and unfettered access to planes.
Two former employees confirmed working with Muhumed at Delta Global Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Airlines. Earlier this year, the cleaning contract was taken over by another company, Airserv. The Metropolitan Airports Commission is in charge of granting security clearances, but a MAC person told Fox 9 News they could not comment on what Muhumed's were due to the ongoing FBI investigation. Instead, they offered to check with Homeland Security to see if they can release any information at all.
It's unclear how long Muhumed worked at DGS, or when exactly he left the Twin Cities to fight with ISIS. He died in the same battle as Douglas McCain, who was also from Minnesota. Authorities estimate that as many as 15 men and one woman have left the metro to fight with the terror group.
Meanwhile, ISIS is making no secret of the propaganda value it gets from foreign fighters, many of whom are featured prominently on social media. Just last month, ISIS posted pictures of its flag in front of the White House and Chicago's Old Republic building, along with the haunting statement: "We are in your state, we are in your cities, we are in your streets."
The question for investigators now may be whether or not they are working at our airports as well; however, it is important to note that Muhumed did not have any criminal history in Minnesota that would have prohibited him from working at the airport. There are also different levels of security clearance there, and it's unknown exactly what level he had.