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Called to Fight
Mark Zdechlik
St. Paul, Minn.

Franken wants to monitor Minnesotans with ties to ISIS

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As many as 12 Minnesotans may have left the country to join fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, U.S. Sen. Al Franken said Tuesday.

Citing figures from the FBI, Franken said he is concerned that the Minnesotans now in the Middle East could pose a security threat to the United States. He said any federal authorities should closely scrutinize any who return.

The Democratic senator said he hopes to meet soon with FBI officials in Saint Paul for an update on their assessment of the Minnesota-ISIS connection.

Last week federal authorities confirmed that Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33, who grew up in the Twin Cities, died in Syria. There are reports that a second Minnesotan, Abdirahmaan Muhumed, also may have died fighting alongside the militants.

"I'm hoping to have a session with the FBI here in St. Paul to find out more," Franken said. "This was an estimated dozen, so I don't want to talk about this in great detail until I'm briefed some more."

Franken said U.S. officials need to closely track Minnesotans with ties to ISIS and arrest them if they are suspected of supporting terrorism.

"When these people come back, if they do, these Minnesotans, we need to be monitoring them very closely," he said. "If they come in [and] there's evidence they've given material support for terrorism, we should arrest them and definitely track these people — or not let them into the country."