Hassan Mahat Omar Designated as Terrorist by OFAC

Hassan Mahat Omar

The Treasury designation also included Hassan Mahat Omar, a previously unknown Shabaab leader who operates from Nairobi, Kenya.

• Omar is described as a "a key figure in al Shabaab's efforts to recruit new members and raise funds"
• "an ideological leader of al Shabaab."
• He also "exercises leadership and decision-making authority in al Shabaab's internal political and operational decisions."
• Omar operates from a mosque in the Eastleigh section of Nairobi, where he serves as "a key leader."
• Omar and other Shabaab leaders use the Eastleigh mosque to "raise funds, recruit and disseminate propaganda on behalf of al Shabaab."

As a religious leader, Omar has used his position to issue fatwas, or edicts, in favor of Shabaab. His fatwas "have provided al-Shabaab with the religious justification to wage jihad against Somalia's Transitional Federal Government."

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