A 23-year-old Minnesota man, Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State group. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul. Hassan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had previously expressed admiration on social media for the perpetrator of a deadly truck attack on Bourken Street in New Orleans, which resulted in 14 fatalities. The attacker, who was subsequently killed by police, had displayed the Islamic State group’s flag on his vehicle. Prosecutors revealed that Hassan made two unsuccessful attempts in December to travel from Minnesota to Somalia to join the Islamic State group and fight on its behalf. The FBI, having been alerted to a social media user expressing support for both the Islamic State group and the Somali militant group al-Shabab, conducted surveillance on Hassan during these attempts. The first attempt was thwarted when the airline denied him boarding due to insufficient travel documents, and he missed the second flight while being questioned by federal officers. Hassan was not detained until his arrest in February. The FBI also observed Hassan driving with the Islamic State group’s flag the day before his arrest. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson emphasized the zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, stating, ‘There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism. Hassan flew the ISIS flag, venerated attacks on the homeland, and wanted to kill Americans. We are not taking chances. We will not let Minnesota become a safe haven for terrorists.’ Hassan remains in custody, and a sentencing date has yet to be set. Under a plea agreement, the government has agreed not to seek a sentence longer than 17 years, while the defense is free to recommend any sentence. The final decision rests with the judge. This case is part of a broader pattern, with several Minnesotans having been suspected of attempting to join the Islamic State group in recent years. In 2016, nine Minnesotans were sentenced for conspiring to join the group, and one individual who fought for the group in Iraq was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison.