"I don’t believe in a million years that he is a terrorist," said Ibrahim Noor, a fellow Somali immigrant, said outside the federal courthouse downtown. "He is a decent guy."
Inside, a federal prosecutor and a public defender argued over keeping Yusuf, 30, in jail indefinitely. Yusuf, of St. Louis, was named in an indictment alleging that he collected and wired about $6,000 to al-Shabaab, an Islamist group that is trying to overthrow the shaky government of his impoverished east African country.
The U.S. government declared al-Shabaab a terrorist organization in 2008. Until Monday, when he was arrested, Yusuf was a cab driver at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The indictment alleges Yusuf used aliases to send the money and code words during wiretapped conversations in an effort to conceal the scheme. He was charged with a man in Minneapolis and another who is believed to be in Kenya. Prosecutors said they don’t believe he has any co-conspirators within St. Louis’ small Somali community of about 2,000.
Jim Hacking, an immigration lawyer who has represented Yusuf before, joined Noor outside the courthouse. Hacking called the charge "a huge misunderstanding," and said Yusuf faithfully wires his money to his wife and other relatives in a refugee camp in Kenya, which borders Somalia.
"He has told me on many occasions that he is not political. He has no connection to al-Shabaab," Hacking said.
He said Yusuf came to the United States in 2001 as a refugee from Somalia’s war and applied for citizenship in 2006.
In the hearing before U.S. Magistrate Terry Adelman, assistant U.S. attorney Matthew Drake argued for continued detention because, he said, Yusuf spoke during a wiretapped conversation of heading for Canada. Drake also said Yusuf used his legal name to wire money to his wife, but aliases to send money to an agent for al-Shabaab.
Public defender Nanci McCarthy, arguing for release on bond, said Yusuf had spoken of seeking Canadian citizenship if he can’t become an American. And she said he and friends use many nicknames in their culture.
An interpreter standing with Yusuf translated the proceedings for him and his conversation with McCarthy. Adelman said he would rule later. Yusuf did not speak during the hearing.
Source: stltoday