A Minnesota man who pleaded guilty this week to attempting to join ISIS not only praised terrorist attacks and twice tried to travel overseas to fight for the group—he also donated to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s political campaign, my investigation has confirmed.
The revelation ties a convicted supporter of one of the world’s most violent terror organizations directly to the fundraising network of a sitting member of Congress.
On October 1, 2025, federal prosecutors announced that Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, of Minnesota, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
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Hassan had long promoted jihad online, calling for the overthrow of the Somali government and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
According to court filings, his social media accounts contained ISIS propaganda, black ISIS flag logos, and praise for mass-casualty attacks, including the January 1, 2025, New Orleans attack that killed 14 people.
Hassan referred to the killer as “the legend that killed Americans.”
Federal agents documented that in December 2024, Hassan made two separate attempts to travel one-way from Minnesota to Somalia to join ISIS fighters.
On his first attempt, he was denied boarding due to a lack of travel documents.
After acquiring a visa, he attempted to travel again but was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection in Chicago.
Agents found his naturalization papers, diploma, and electronic devices loaded with ISIS propaganda, recruitment messages, and PDF manuals on building explosives, including C-4, urea nitrate, and HMTD.
The FBI further recovered messages where Hassan referred to an ISIS recruiter as “uncle” and “commander” and declared, “I will become ISIS straight away.”
In one video posted online, he waved a homemade ISIS flag while driving in Minnesota; in another, he displayed a knife on his lap.
He openly admitted to agents that he supported ISIS, consumed its propaganda daily, and believed in creating an Islamic caliphate.
Hassan’s guilty plea was accepted in U.S. District Court in Minnesota before Judge Donovan W. Frank. He remains in federal custody pending sentencing.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
But what has gone unreported until now is Hassan’s political activity.
Federal Election Commission records show Hassan made contributions to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s campaign committee, which operates in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District. In the same community, Hassan lived and promoted ISIS propaganda.
Omar, a Democrat and member of the “Squad,” has repeatedly faced controversy over her rhetoric on terrorism, foreign policy, and her ties to political donors.
The discovery that a convicted ISIS supporter contributed to her campaign underscores growing concerns about the vulnerabilities of campaign finance and the troubling intersections between radical ideology and domestic politics.
Since June 2025, the Justice Department has filed dozens of terrorism-related cases, warning that online radicalization and attempts to join foreign terrorist organizations remain one of the most persistent national security threats.
In Minnesota, where a large Somali-American community resides, federal agents have repeatedly uncovered recruitment pipelines targeting vulnerable young men.
As Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson put it: “There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism. Hassan flew the ISIS flag, perpetrated attacks on the homeland, and wanted to kill Americans. We are not taking chances.”
The case demonstrates the ongoing dangers of extremism in the United States—and raises serious questions about how campaign dollars may unwittingly flow from extremist sympathizers to elected officials.