Man Charged With Social Media Threats Makes Court Appearance
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis man was in court Wednesday to face charges of threatening FBI agents and a federal judge on social media.
The FBI says 19-year-old Khaalid Abdulkadir made threats against federal law enforcement officials after the arrest of another man accused of conspiring to help ISIS.
A federal judge Wednesday continued the hearing to give the defense time to prepare its case.
Abdulkadir has been under FBI surveillance for more than a year, and agents spent countless hours monitoring his social media accounts.
The FBI says a confidential informant gave them screenshots of the tweets they believe Abdulkadir sent; tweets that threatened to kill the feds for locking up his brothers.
The criminal complaint says Abdulkadir sent the tweets after the arrest of 20-year-old Abdirizak Warsame, who is accused of conspiring to help ISIS.
The FBI says surveillance of his social media accounts shows Abdulkadir was allegedly in touch with two indicted terror suspects from Minnesota.
The bureau believes Abdulkadir contacted Mujahid Miski and Abdi Nur, who are both seen as heroes within ISIS networks.
The complaint also claims Abdulkadir and two other unknown men scoped out the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse.
Photos of the men taking pictures of a federal deputy inside the building were shown Wednesday in court.
Abdulkadir's court-appointed attorney, Christopher Madel, asked for more time to prepare his case. He claims the government cannot prove Abdulkadir sent the tweets.
Madel also claims his client was using his First Amendment rights by criticizing the feds, and he made no direct threat to a specific federal law enforcement agent.
The case against Abdulkadir will continue on Monday afternoon. Judge Franklin Noel says there is probable cause to send the case to the grand jury in the meantime.
Noel also decided to keep Abdulkadir behind bars until Monday.
He could face ten years in prison for making the threats, which he has denied making.