Rochester Women’s Request for Rehearing of Terrorism Case Rejected

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals won't rehear the appeal of two Minnesota women convicted of conspiring to funnel money to a terror group in Somalia.

39-year-old Amina Farah Ali and 68-year-old Hawo Mohamed Hassan of Rochester were convicted in 2011 on multiple counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terror group.

Prosecutors told jurors the women were part of a "deadly pipeline" that routed money and fighters to al-Shabab. Ali was sentenced to 20 years in prison while Hassan received 10.

A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court upheld their convictions and sentences in August. The women petitioned for a rehearing before the full appeals court, but that request was denied Thursday.

Defense attorneys paint the women as humanitarians who gave money to the poor.