Abdimahat Mohamed, a 28-year-old repeat sex offender, has been federally charged with two counts of kidnapping. The charges come as Mohamed has become the subject of national media attention following state charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.
“This Somali national in Minnesota is charged with raping a minor and multiple adult women before being detained — only to be quickly released by a local court, after which he committed yet another rape,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement.
“This horrific case illustrates how left-wing soft-on-crime policies and vetting failures put innocent people at dire risk. If Minnesota will not protect its own people, the Department of Justice will do it for them,” added the attorney general.
Earlier this year, Mohamed pleaded guilty in two separate sexual assault cases. In one of the cases, Mohamed was charged with raping a 15-year-old female victim in 2017 after he kidnapped her and another man had threatened her with a gun. Charges from the other case accused Mohamed of raping and threatening an adult female in 2024.
In both cases, the most serious charges against Mohamed were dropped and he pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual assault and fifth-degree criminal sexual assault.
Mohamed was sentenced to three years in prison, but that sentence was stayed. Mohamed was ordered to register as a sex offender and complete five years of probation. He did not serve any time in prison. Mohamed’s sentencing orders were signed by Judge Juan Hoyos.
This week, Mohamed was charged in Hennepin County District Court in another sexual assault case. According to the charges, Mohamed picked up a female victim in September, brought her to a hotel, told her she could not leave, and forced her to have sex against her will.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Mohamed with third-degree criminal sexual assault and kidnapping for that case.
Now, the U.S. Justice Department has decided to bring federal kidnapping charges against Mohamed. In addition to calling out Minnesota’s “left-wing soft-on-crime policies,” federal authorities said Mohamed also participated in two gang rapes in 2018.
“The allegations are sickening — multiple kidnappings and rapes, including against minors — and they happened in a state that has chosen ideology over public safety,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Minnesota’s radical soft-on-crime policies created an environment where predators believe they can act without consequence.”
“President Trump was elected to restore law and order, and under Attorney General Bondi, this Department is making sure violent criminals like this will face real justice and spend the rest of their natural lives in federal prison,” added Blanche.
The Justice Department has charged Mohamed with two counts of kidnapping; one count relating to the 2017 case and the other count relating to the 2025 case. He is currently in custody at the Hennepin County Jail.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Mohamed pleaded guilty in 2024. He pleaded guilty earlier this year.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
