St. Paul woman recruited to aid terrorists in Syria, relative says

ST. PAUL - A 19-year old Somali woman from St. Paul left for Syria two weeks ago to aid fighters for a terrorist group, according to a family member with direct knowledge of her departure. Her disappearance marks the first time that family members have confirmed that a Somali-American woman has left the country to support terrorists in the Middle East.
The woman used a borrowed passport that her family believes was provided by a recruiter, according to a relative who spoke Wednesday to the Star Tribune on condition that his identity - and hers - be withheld. He said that the family found a copy of the passport used by the woman to leave the country, reportedly on Aug. 23. The next night, the family contacted the FBI and police to report her missing, and told authorities the identities of those they believe recruited her locally.
He said the FBI told the family that two other local women also had gone to Syria.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken said over the weekend that the FBI has told his office “in the nature of about a dozen” people from Minnesota have left the country to join the terror group operating in Syria.
The FBI declined to comment on the case.
The woman’s family told FBI agents the names of several people who they believe were involved in recruiting the woman over the past nine months to a year, according to the relative. One of the alleged recruiters is a local woman who was said to be married to a white man who was fighting with terrorists in the Syria-Iraq region, and the woman was believed to be planning to join her husband.
The family has not been updated about the investigation since the woman was reported missing, adding frustration to its anxiety about her safety.
“How many more kids have to die before we do something about it?” the relative asked. “Those animals who are taking our children are what we’re concerned about. We love this country more than anything else. I love America. We don’t want to see anything bad happen here. This is the most dangerous thing happening to this country.”