MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for trying to join and support ISIS, after federal investigators tracked his online activities and travel attempts.
READ MORE: Minneapolis man charged after trying to provide support to ISIS
Man sentenced for trying to support ISIS
Timeline:
Court documents show Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, was sentenced to 102 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Prosecutors say Hassan started consuming and sharing ISIS propaganda in 2024, viewing violent videos and manuals on how to make explosives.
Authorities determined that Hassan communicated frequently with ISIS recruiters in Somalia and made plans to leave the United States to join the group.
In December 2024, he quit his job, liquidated his savings, and bought a one-way ticket from Minneapolis to Somalia. FBI agents stopped his first travel attempt at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport due to missing documents. After obtaining the necessary paperwork, he tried again, flying from Minneapolis to Chicago, but was stopped by Customs and Border Protection before boarding his international flight.
Hassan admitted to CBP agents that he believed in ISIS and did not support democracy.
After returning to Minnesota, he continued to post pro-ISIS content online, including praise for a deadly attack in New Orleans and videos of himself with ISIS symbols and weapons.
The FBI arrested Hassan on February 27, 2025. At the time, he had a homemade ISIS flag and a long-bladed knife with him. He pleaded guilty on September 29, 2025, and was sentenced on April 22, 2026.
What they're saying:
FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson shared the following statement:
"Abdisatar Hassan took active steps in an attempt to join and support ISIS—a brutal foreign terrorist organization responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of innocent people. Hassan celebrated the 2025 murder of 14 innocent Americans in New Orleans—a senseless attack on American soil, attempted to travel in order to take up arms on behalf of ISIS, and when unable to get to his destination, promoted ISIS and al-Shabaab propaganda encouraging others to fight against the United States. The sentence handed down today takes a would-be terrorist off the streets and sends a clear message that the FBI and our partners will unremittingly pursue anyone seeking to join or support a foreign terrorist organization."
The Source: This story uses information shared by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota and previous FOX 9 reporting.