Abdikadir Ali Abdi was 17 when he left Hopkins, Minnesota, on November 3, 2008. His disappearance was first treated as a runaway, and family and community members feared he might have left voluntarily. Soon after, investigators and reporters tracked a different trail: Abdikadir traveled to Somalia, which was then in active conflict, and was reported among a group of young Somali men from the Minneapolis area who became radicalized and joined al-Shabab.

Federal inquiries later linked Abdikadir’s name to networks recruiting Somali-Americans to fight in Somalia’s civil war. By July 2010 he was indicted on terrorism-related charges; he is believed to remain at large in Somalia and his current whereabouts are unknown. The case highlights concerns about the recruitment of vulnerable Somali-American youth and the impact on families left behind.

Anyone who knew Abdikadir before November 3, 2008, or has information about his travel to Somalia is asked to come forward.