US and Somali authorities arrest suspect in Minnesota pandemic fraud case

Mogadishu, Somalia — United States prosecutors have arrested a man in Somalia accused of playing a leading role in one of the largest pandemic-related fraud cases in US history.

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was detained in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday. US authorities announced the arrest on Friday, marking one of the clearest indications that efforts to pursue suspects linked to the case now extend beyond US borders.

Officials in neither country disclosed how Eidleh was located. However, the US Department of Justice said the arrest resulted from cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency.

Prosecutors allege that Eidleh was a senior figure in a scheme centred on Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based non-profit organisation accused of diverting federal funds intended to provide meals for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.