(CNN) -- An Alabama man described as a jihadist "rock star," two Minnesota women and a California man are among more than a dozen people now charged with aiding al Qaeda-linked rebels in Somalia.
The Justice Department unsealed a slew of indictments Thursday that accused 14 people of providing "money, personnel and services" to Al-Shabaab, the Islamist militant group battling Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government. Most were in Minnesota, where the group has attempted to find recruits from among Somali immigrants.
FBI agents have arrested two women in Rochester, Minnesota, about 85 miles south of Minneapolis, on charges of raising money for the insurgents, the Justice Department announced. The rest named in Thursday's indictments are believed to be in Somalia, fighting with the rebels.
"While our investigations are ongoing around the country, these arrests and charges should serve as an unmistakable warning to others considering joining or supporting terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab: If you choose this route you can expect to find yourself in a U.S. jail cell or a casualty on the battlefield in Somalia," Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters Thursday.
Two men -- Omar Shafik Hammami, 26, a former resident of Daphne, Alabama, and Jehad Serwan Mostafa, 28, a former resident of San Diego, California -- have been charged in separate cases of providing material support to Al-Shabaab. Both are U.S. citizens, and are thought to be fighting alongside the rebels in Somalia, U.S. officials said.
Hammami in particular has become a "rock star" among jihadists, with rap-style videos that bridge American and Somali culture, said Frank Cilluffo, an analyst with the Homeland Security Policy Institute in Washington. CNN
