Trial to begin for pair accused of fundraising for al-Shabab
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two women accused of raising money for the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab are set to go on federal trial.
Thirty-six-year-old Muna Osman Jama of Reston, Virginia, and 46-year-old Hinda Osman Dhirane of Kent, Washington, were arrested and charged in 2014 with providing material support to terrorists by funneling small amounts of money to al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliate.
Prosecutors say the women used coded communications to hide their intent, referring to al-Shabab as “the family” and truckloads of supplies as “camels.”
The bench trial scheduled to open Monday in federal court in Alexandria, near Washington, D.C., is expected to take up to two weeks.
Defence lawyers say the women are Somali expats who were sending money back home for innocuous purposes. Court records indicate the amount in question is less than $5,000
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