Caught

14 Arrested in Apparent Somali Terror Ring

Homegrown jihadists part of "very disturbing trend."

Fourteen Somalis were arrested across the U.S. on Thursday for their ties to a Somalia-based terrorism group linked to al Qaeda, in what Atty. Gen. Eric Holder called a "very disturbing trend" of homegrown jihadists. Those taken into custody were mostly U.S. citizens, picked up in Alabama, California, and Minnesota, and they're said to have supported or tried to join Shabab, the Islamic extremist group that controls parts of the east African country, contributing to a “deadly pipeline” of funds and fighters. According to media reports, the people from Minnesota traveled door-to-door saying they were raising funds for “poor and needy” people in Somalia but actually were directing the money to the terror group. The incident is only the latest reflection of the growing radicalization of youth in subsets of Somali-American communities. The country “must prevent this kind of captivation from taking hold,” Holder said at a press conference.