MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Five Minnesota men accused of conspiring to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group have pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism charges.
The men entered their pleas Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman, 19; Hamza Naj Ahmed, 21; Adnan Abdihamid Farah, 19; Hanad Mustafe Musse, 19; and Guled Ali Omar, 20, are each charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
All but Farah also face additional charges. Two other men charged in this case weren’t scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
Authorities have described the men as friends in Minnesota’s Somali community. Some of them were part of a group that took a bus to New York in November and were stopped at JFK Airport before they traveled overseas.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Now that Minnesota lawmakers will be pulled back into action, the second-chance stampede is on.
Groups with a gripe about the budget are trying to get in on the special session provoked by a promised veto of a $17 billion education spending plan, and some want Gov. Mark Dayton to veto other bills too.
Environmental groups want a replacement budget without regulatory oversight changes they oppose. Capitol custodians need a borrowing bill to get extra money for a renovation project. Rural city interests say workforce housing project tax credits and other items in a stalled tax bill should get traction.
By all accounts, the education budget is tops on a special session to-do list. It won’t be called until Dayton and legislative leaders, particularly from the House GOP, reach accord on new school spending and the shape of expanded early childhood initiatives. It could take weeks to sort out, and there’s still uncertainty about where it will be held given the Capitol’s closure for construction.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Dayton both said they’d like to revive a public construction package and a budget bill for the arts and environmental projects. Daudt noted Wednesday those bills carry money necessary to implement the governor’s plan to strengthen buffer zones between crops and public waterways. And the public construction bonding bill also includes flood relief funding and money to cover cost overruns in the Capitol’s ongoing renovations.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis police officer who allegedly identified himself as an officer and assaulted at least four people while off-duty, then filed false reports, has been charged with federal civil rights violations and other counts in an indictment announced Wednesday.
Michael Lewis Griffin, 40, is charged with nine counts, including allegations that he deprived a person of his rights by using excessive force, falsified paperwork and perjury.
“Police officers cannot use their shield as a weapon against innocent civilians,” U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said in a statement. “We will not stand for those who abuse their badge and the public’s trust.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Griffin had an attorney who could comment on the allegations. The head of the Minneapolis police union didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment on the case.
Griffin, a patrol officer, has been the subject of 22 internal affairs investigations stemming from complaints about his behavior, the Star Tribune reported. Police Chief Janee Harteau told KARE-TV that Griffin is on paid administrative leave.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - House Speaker Kurt Daudt says Gov. Mark Dayton should apologize for saying some Republicans hate public schools, but the governor isn’t backing down.
Dayton made the comment Tuesday after announcing he’d fulfill his promise and veto the Legislature’s education budget bill. Daudt called Dayton’s remarks “outrageous” and called on the governor to apologize Wednesday.
But Dayton says it’s Republicans who should be sorry for not supporting a budget that funds a half-day preschool program. The Democratic governor says he’ll apologize if they help pass statewide preschool.
Dayton’s comment could tinge negotiations for a special session. He’ll need to reach a new deal with the Republican House on public school funding to finalize the state’s $42 billion budget.
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