A fourth Minnesota man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame was part of a group of five Minnesota men who met numerous times in 2014 to plan their journey to Syria. All five were expected to be tried in May.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Warsame and the others looked for the best way to travel from Minnesota to Syria to avoid U.S. law enforcement agents.
Minneapolis, Minnesota's largest city, has a large number of Muslim immigrants from Somalia, and U.S. authorities say the city is ripe for extremists looking for would-be terrorists.
U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger of the Justice Department's Minnesota district said Islamic State recruiting is an ongoing problem.
"Federal law enforcement and our local partners remain dedicated to ending terror recruitment in our state," he said. "One of the important factors we believe will help stop the recruiting pipeline is for those who have been charged to take responsibility for their crimes."
