Defense: Fraction of calls played in Minnesota case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A defense attorney for one of two women accused of funneling money to al-Shabab in Somalia showed how prosecutors cherry-picked a fraction of conversations from hundreds of hours of wiretaps.

During cross-examination of a government witness in the case against Amina Farah Ali and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, Ali’s attorney Dan Scott noted that in one recording, jurors heard only 41 seconds of a 20-minute call.

Some local Somalis watching the trial say that’s unfair and doesn’t show what the women were doing. The women claim they raised money for charity.

Both are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Ali faces 12 counts of providing such support, while Hassan faces two counts of lying to the FBI — a third count against Hassan was dropped.