UDA headquarters
A United Democratic Alliance (UDA) politician has been arrested in the United States for attempted exploitation of a minor.
The suspected Abdullahi Yussuf Sheikh Nur had vied for a parliamentary seat under the UDA party in the 2022 general election.
The 46-year-old was apprehended alongside 11 other suspects by Eden Prairie police officers.
The 12 suspects are believed to have been arranging to pay for sex with a 17-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover officer.
The operation involved a multiple-agency task force that focused on trafficking and exploitation in the Interstate 494 corridor.
According to Eden Prairie Police, the suspects ranged in age from 24-46, and were from all over the Twin Cities.
Nur is among the nine suspects who have been charged with one count each of prostitution of a minor.
Others are Thai Lor, Ross Orren Nordean, Roberto Carlos Geronimo, Angel David Agustin, Jose Isaias Perdomo Elias, Mohammad Reza Pourmand, Said Rahman Amanzai, and Eduardo Solis-Perez.
The suspects were nabbed after authorities posted a “decoy” ad online advertising sex services, and provided a phone and photos of an undercover officer.
Nur fell for the trap and contacted the undercover officer. He was then arrested at a golf course in Eden Prairie after arranging to meet the undercover officer.
“The undercover officer told Nur after he reached out that she was younger, “almost 18” and that the ad “will be taken down if I say 17.” Nur continued to arrange to meet the undercover officer, and he was arrested at a golf course in Eden Prairie,” cort documents stated.
The UDA politician had $250 on him and a cell phone when he was arrested.
Since 2016, Eden Prairie police have conducted 38 sting operations targeting human trafficking, resulting in 401 arrests linked to trafficking-related offenses.
