Mahdi Mohamed 's family wants to know how he came to be charged in a British court . Hashi came to Britain as a six - year - old , fleeing Somalia 's civil war . But his family says that when he turned 16 , Britain 's MI5 secret service asked Hashi to become a spy -- willingly or not . ` His family claims he was pressured by Britain 's MI5 secret service to become a spy . He vanished from Somalia in 2011 and reappeared in Brooklyn , charged with terrorist financing .
Mahdi Mohamed 's family wants to know how he came to be charged in a British court . Hashi came to Britain as a six - year - old , fleeing Somalia 's civil war . His family claims he was pressured by Britain 's MI5 secret service to become a spy . He vanished from Somalia in 2011 and reappeared in Brooklyn , charged with terrorist financing .