Mountain Media, LLC
  • West Virginia News
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • Mountain Messenger
      • Pocahontas Times
      • Parsons Advocate
      • Pendleton Times
      • Clay County Free Press
      • Calhoun Chronicle
      • Shinnston News
    • By County
      • Greenbrier County
      • Clay County
      • Harrison County
      • Calhoun County
      • Pocahontas County
      • Pendleton County
      • Tucker County
  • Virginia Media, INC
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • The Enterprise
      • Fincastle Herald
      • Henry County Enterprise
      • News Messenger
      • News Journal
      • Vinton Messenger
      • New Castle Record
      • Salem Times Register
    • By County/City
      • Botetourt County
      • Henry County
      • Radford
      • Christiansburg/Blacksburg
      • Patrick County
      • Vinton
      • Roanoke
      • Salem
      • Craig County
  • National News
  • About Us
  • Submit Content
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
  • Login
  • My account
Subscribe For $2.50/Month
No Result
View All Result
MM, LLC
  • West Virginia News
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • Mountain Messenger
      • Pocahontas Times
      • Parsons Advocate
      • Pendleton Times
      • Clay County Free Press
      • Calhoun Chronicle
      • Shinnston News
    • By County
      • Greenbrier County
      • Clay County
      • Harrison County
      • Calhoun County
      • Pocahontas County
      • Pendleton County
      • Tucker County
  • Virginia Media, INC
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • The Enterprise
      • Fincastle Herald
      • Henry County Enterprise
      • News Messenger
      • News Journal
      • Vinton Messenger
      • New Castle Record
      • Salem Times Register
    • By County/City
      • Botetourt County
      • Henry County
      • Radford
      • Christiansburg/Blacksburg
      • Patrick County
      • Vinton
      • Roanoke
      • Salem
      • Craig County
  • National News
  • About Us
  • Submit Content
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
  • Login
  • My account
No Result
View All Result
Mountain Media, LLC
  • Virginia News
  • West Virginia News
  • National News
  • Login
  • My account
  • Subscribe
Home Local VA State News

Dutch mom gets 3 years in US for supporting Somali militants

August 2, 2022
in VA State News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Dutch woman was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for donating several hundred dollars to a group that supported the militant group al-Shabab in Somalia.

The sentenced imposed on Farhia Hassan, 38, was far less than the 8-year sentence sought by prosecutors.

She was convicted earlier this year by a jury at U.S. District Court in Alexandria of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Prosecutors said she was one of about 15 women who gathered in an online chatroom and regularly committed small amounts of money to support al-Shabab militants in Somalia and Kenya. In all, prosecutors say she donated about $300 over a three-year period, though they admitted difficulty tracking payments.

Hassan, a Somali native and mother of six, was granted asylum in the Netherlands as a teenager and settled in the city of Terneuzen. She was initially charged in 2014, but fought extradition for seven years before she was brought to the U.S. to face trial.

Two leaders of the group have already been convicted and sentenced to terms of 12 and 11 years, respectively.

Hassan’s lawyers argued she never should have been charged in the first place. They said it was overreach for the U.S. to charge a Dutch woman for supporting Somali militants when she had no connection whatsoever to the U.S.

While al-Shabab has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., it carried no such designation in the Netherlands or the European Union at the time the group was active, from 2011 to 2014.

The defense lawyers, Jessica Carmichael and Yancey Ellis, also said the minimal contributions attributed to their client warranted only a minimal sentence. They argued for a sentence of time served, about nine months.

“Ms. Hassan has been punished enough,” they wrote in sentencing papers.

Prosecutors, though, said $300 can go a long way. In court papers, they said the money could be used in Somalia to pay an al-Shabab fighter’s monthly wages or buy an AK-47 military rifle or a camel.

At Monday’s hearing, Hassan said through a Somali interpreter that she is not an al-Shabab supporter but was donating money to help the Somali people.

Prosecutors, though, said there is no evidence Hassan has truly deradicalized, and said those who participated in the online chats regularly heard lectures supporting suicide attacks and assassination of clerics, among other violent acts.

“Every indication before the Court is that she believes just as firmly in al-Shabaab’s mission as she did in 2011 when the conspiracy began,” prosecutor Danya Atiyeh wrote.

Judge Anthony Trenga, who imposed the sentence, said he largely agreed about Hassan’s radicalization. But he said Hassan’s actions did not merit imposition of a so-called “terrorism enhancement” that usually results in extreme increases to the recommended term under federal sentencing guidelines.

Hassan has the ability to appeal her conviction and sentence.

ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

Feds ask probation for ex-police officer who stormed Capitol

August 10, 2022

A former Virginia police officer who pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol with another off-duty officer deserves to avoid a prison...

Renaming Army bases that honor Confederates would cost $21M

August 10, 2022

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Renaming nine U.S. Army posts that honor Confederate officers would cost a total of $21 million...

Commanders’ Rivera fires defensive line coach Sam Mills III

August 10, 2022

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera has fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III and promoted Jeff...

Axios Media purchased by Cox Enterprises

August 9, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — It's an old and new media marriage: Axios Media, the digital news site known for its...

More storms forecasted for flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky

August 9, 2022

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service extended a flood watch through Sunday evening for areas of eastern Kentucky ravaged by high...

Learning from failures: How Biden scored win on climate plan

August 9, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the last year, Joe Biden has been throwing pieces of his domestic agenda overboard in an...

  • Login
  • My account
  • Subscribe
  • Classifieds
Call us: +1 234 JEG THEME

© 2021 Mountain Media, LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart
  • West Virginia News
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • Mountain Messenger
      • Pocahontas Times
      • Parsons Advocate
      • Pendleton Times
      • Clay County Free Press
      • Calhoun Chronicle
      • Shinnston News
    • By County
      • Greenbrier County
      • Clay County
      • Harrison County
      • Calhoun County
      • Pocahontas County
      • Pendleton County
      • Tucker County
  • Virginia Media, INC
    • Around The State
    • By Paper
      • The Enterprise
      • Fincastle Herald
      • Henry County Enterprise
      • News Messenger
      • News Journal
      • Vinton Messenger
      • New Castle Record
      • Salem Times Register
    • By County/City
      • Botetourt County
      • Henry County
      • Radford
      • Christiansburg/Blacksburg
      • Patrick County
      • Vinton
      • Roanoke
      • Salem
      • Craig County
  • National News
  • About Us
  • Submit Content
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
  • Login
  • My account

© 2021 Mountain Media, LLC

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Sign in
  • New account

Forgot your password?

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

>

Add Mountain Media, LLC to your Homescreen

Add