Minneapolis trial offers look at inside workings of terrorist group

In more than a week of testimony, the federal trial of a Minneapolis man accused of assisting a Somali terrorist group has provided an inside look at the workings of al-Shabaab.

However, much of the testimony has not directly implicated the defendant. Wednesday, a Twin Cities man who described his decision to join al-Shabaab told the court he never saw defendant Mahamud Said Omar at meetings in Minneapolis nor in Somalia. The young man was the third to testify about his recruitment to al-Shabaab.

Jurors on Wednesday also were shown propaganda videos, including one that showed an al-Shabaab raid against Ethiopian forces in Somalia.