There are reportedly “growing concerns” over the arrest of two Middle Eastern brothers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this month. The men reportedly had what was described as an arsenal of bombing-making materials, replete with guns, ammunition, and bomb-making materials in their car.
Abdullah Alrifahe, 27, and Majid Alrifahe, 26, were arrested on May 11 in North Minneapolis. According to the local CBS affiliate in the region WCCO, Abdullah is being held in the Hennepin County Jail and Majid has been released and is facing minor charges.
Police allegedly found a loaded AK-47, a rifle, a handgun, a grenade, large amounts of ammunition, bomb-making materials, and a drone in their car. The brothers’ arsenal was reportedly discovered when a man who asked not to be named confronted them about littering from their car. WCCO reported that “the brothers jumped out of their car, moved aggressively toward him and used the N-word. He then called police.”
Majid reportedly pleaded not guilty in court and said the auto title of the car was wrong. He said none of the weapons belonged to him.
In an interview with WCCO-TV, Majid, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, said, “No, never, negative,” when asked if he was planning a terrorist attack. “Honestly, I know that myself I’m not a terrorist, and I don’t even like saying that word.” He reportedly added, “We went from littering to a big problem as you see.”
Former CIA case officer Jack Rice told WCCO that the investigation into the brothers will seek to find out if there’s something larger, like a terrorist cell, on the back end of the situation.
Minneapolis has developed into an area of concern for radical Islamic activity. Last year, a Somali youth from the city turned into an informant for the government and testified about his plans to travel to Syria to become a jihadi.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.