Somali language at issue in terror suspect case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys for a Somali man accused of helping finance fighters for the terror group al-Shabab asked a federal judge for a new court interpreter Friday, saying their client doesn’t fully understand the current translator because he speaks a different dialect of Somali. 

But prosecutors said Mahamud Said Omar — who was arrested in the Netherlands in 2009 and extradited to the United States last month — has given interviews while in custody that show he was “perfectly fluent” in what is often called the standard Somali dialect.

Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis took the issue under advisement.

Omar, 45, is charged as part of the U.S. government’s investigation into the recruitment of at least 21 men who authorities believe left Minnesota to join al-Shabab in Somalia. He’s been indicted on five counts, including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Court documents filed by prosecutors suggest Omar helped with recruiting and provided money to some of the travelers, as well as funding for assault rifles and an al-Shabab safehouse while in Somalia in 2008. They also say he hosted a gathering for some travelers days before they left Minnesota.

His family has said he is innocent.

According to defense testimony, Somalia has two official languages: Af-Maay and Af-Mahaa.

Omar’s attorney, Matt Forsgren, said Omar was born in southern Somalia, where the native language is Af-Maay. He said his client understands a little of the Af-Mahaa dialect, which is considered standard Somali, and a little English.

“He is not sufficiently proficient in either of these two languages for a case as serious as this,” Forsgren said.

While noting that his client faces life in prison if convicted, Forsgren said Omar is entitled to an interpreter that speaks his primary language so he can fully understand the proceedings.

Mohamed Haji Mukhtar, a professor of African and Middle East history at the University of Savannah, said the two dialects have “very obvious differences.”

The court interpreter, Osman M. Abdulle, testified that his ability to speak Af-Maay was “very limited.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Docherty said the government doesn’t have an issue with having an Af-Maay interpreter, but he said defense claims that Omar doesn’t understand Af-Mahaa are “simply not true.”

“This has implications going into the nature of the government’s evidence and some statements he made,” Docherty said.

Abdirahman Abdullahi Dahir, a translator for the FBI, said he went to the Netherlands with investigators and spoke with Omar for 23 hours over six days.

“My sense was that he is proficient in Af-Mahaa,” Dahir testified.

Docherty also played audio recordings Friday in which a man the government identified as Omar is speaking with another person. The men appear to be talking about others who traveled to Somalia, and Omar appears to be offering guidance on how to get to East Africa.

Dahir told the court the two men in the recordings were speaking Af-Mahaa and it seemed they understood each other. Forsgren pointed out that at times, the two speakers had to clarify what they were talking about.

The calls took place in November 2008, when news of the travelers became public.

Mohamed Omar Osman, the defendant’s eldest brother, said the family grew up speaking Af-Maay and still uses that dialect with each other. He said his brother’s knowledge of Af-Mahaa was similar to that of a tourist learning a new language, in that he could understand a word here and there, but had no comprehension of complex issues.

Docherty noted Omar has lived in the U.S. since 1993 and has held jobs.

Friday’s hearing was a continuation of one that ended abruptly last month after Omar collapsed. There was a brief scare again on Friday as Omar’s body became rigid when his brother took the stand. It appeared he might collapse again, but he recovered.

Forsgren said he believed his client was overcome by the stress of seeing his brother testify. The attorney said Omar’s medical issues are still unknown.

A hearing to address whether Omar will stay in custody pending trial has been scheduled for next month.

Source: AP