MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minnesota man has been sentenced to two years in federal
prison for lying to the FBI about his contact with a terror suspect linked to
the Somali militant group al-Shabab.

Thirty-four-year-old Mahdi Hussein Furreh pleaded guilty in October 2014 to
making false statements.

Furreh's attorney, Manny Atwal, asked that Furreh be sentenced to the four days
he had already served, and supervised release or probation. Prosecutor Charles
Kovats argued that Furreh should be sentenced to about two years, saying time
served should be reserved only for defendants who cooperate from the start.

Furreh admitted lying to the FBI in 2014 when asked about a man who's wanted
for allegedly encouraging Minnesota Somalis to join al-Shabab in Somalia. Furreh
denied knowing that man, but had actually called him several times.

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