You Won't Believe Where an American Islamic State Jihadist Used to Work

One of the Americans killed fighting in the ranks of the Islamic State group in Syria was once employed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport cleaning and fueling aircraft, a job that gave him “unfettered access” to passenger planes, a Minneapolis television station reported.

Abdirahmaan Muhumed reportedly worked cleaning passenger planes before heading off to Syria to fight with the Islamic State (Photo: Facebook)

Law enforcement, airport officials and fellow employees told KMSP-TV that Abdirahmaan Muhumed – also known as Abdifatah Ahmed – was employed at the airport servicing Delta Air Lines planes between November 2001 and May 2011:

According to the Metropolitan Airports Commission, Ahmed held a Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) security badge intermittently between November 2001 and October 2010 to perform work as a fueler for ASIG, later known as Servisair. Ahmed was again issued a SIDA badge in November 2010 to work as a cleaner for Delta Global Services. Delta Air Lines switched its aircraft cleaner services at MSP Airport from Delta Global Services to Airserve earlier this year.

The job would have provided the man who would later travel to the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State security clearance at the airport, allowing him special access to sensitive parts of the facility and tarmac.

“Downright scary,” the KMSP anchor said.

“The last place you’d want a terrorist to work,” answered reporter Tom Lyden, who broke the story.

Muhumed had no criminal history prior to his employment at the airport and since leaving the job in May 2011 has not held an airport security badge, KMSP reported.

Last month, another American from Minnesota, Douglas McAuthur McCain, was killed while fighting for the Islamic State in Syria.

Senior administration officials told NBC News they estimate that dozens of Americans have traveled to Syria to fight with extremist groups, including, the Islamic State and other jihadist groups.

KMSP reported that Muhumed was killed in the same battle as McCain.

Here's the report from KMSP: