A federal appeals court has upheld lengthy prison sentences for three Minnesota men who were convicted in 2016 of plotting to join the Islamic State group to fight in Syria and kill for the terrorist group.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected challenges by Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamed Farah, who had sought to have their convictions overturned. A three-judge panel wrote that the evidence against the three was overwhelming.
Judge Michael Davis sentenced Omar, who at one time was the group's leader, to 35 years in prison. Farah and Daud each got 30 years. They were the only three defendants in the case to stand trial.
Six other defendants got lighter sentences after pleading guilty and accepting responsibility for their actions.