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Jury selection begins in Minn. al-Shabab recruiting trial

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Mohamud Said Omar
This undated file family photo made available by his family in Minneapolis shows Mohamud Said Omar, who is accused of providing money and people to al-Shabab, a U.S.-designated terror group at the center of much of the violence in Somalia. Omar's trial begins Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, giving the public its best chance yet to peer behind the curtain of a years-long investigation into how and why some young Somali expatriates decided to risk their lives for insurgents back home.
AP Photo/Family of Mohamud Said Omar, File

Jury selection began today in the trial of Mahamud Said Omar. Omar is accused with facilitating al-Shabab recruitment and sending young Somali men in Minneapolis back to Somalia to join the extremist group.

The defense is expected to argue that Omar was incapable of facilitating such actions and didn't realize what he was taking part in. How effective is that kind of defense, and what will the government have to prove in order to wage a successful prosecution? Will this trial expose strong al-Shabab ties in the Twin Cities?

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Mohamud Said Omar
This undated file family photo made available by his family in Minneapolis shows Mohamud Said Omar, who is accused of providing money and people to al-Shabab, a U.S.-designated terror group at the center of much of the violence in Somalia. Omar's trial begins Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, giving the public its best chance yet to peer behind the curtain of a years-long investigation into how and why some young Somali expatriates decided to risk their lives for insurgents back home.
AP Photo/Family of Mohamud Said Omar, File