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On October 24, the White House launched an attack on Somali activist Mahad Mahmud, calling him a “criminal scum” and apparently wrongly accusing him of involvement in the kidnapping of two French spies in Mogadishu. However, his country welcomed him back as a hero after his deportation from the United States.
According to Agence France-Presse, the post, which appeared that day on the X platform and included a picture of a man with a short beard wearing a plaid shirt, surprised Mahmud's fellow citizens. In his native Somalia, he is a popular social media star with nearly 450,000 followers on TikTok.
Somalia has been facing an insurgency since 2006 led by the al-Shabaab extremist group, which is linked to al-Qaeda. The war continues to this day, just 60 kilometers from the capital, Mogadishu. Amid this reality, Mahad Mahmud focuses on the verbal sparring between rival Somali factions and seems far removed from the atmosphere of the extremist insurgents. Agence France-Presse (AFP) investigated the man, who was deported to Somalia in November. Somali and French security sources consider him a new victim of the Trump administration's immigration policy, not an accomplice in a case that rocked France, in which he denies any involvement.
On July 14, 2009, a group of gunmen kidnapped two agents of the French Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) from the Sahafi International Hotel in Mogadishu, where they were staying. One of them, Marc Aubryère, managed to escape a month later.
The other, Denis Allex, died three and a half years later in January 2013. Paris confirmed that his captors executed him when French forces attempted to free him.
“Not true,” the White House statement described Mahad Mahmud as a “criminal scum” and accused him of being “involved in the kidnapping of French officials at the Sahafi Hotel and the murder of one of them by al-Shabaab.” In an interview with AFP on Saturday, Mahmoud stated that the accusation was "not true," explaining that he had lived in South Africa between 2008 and 2021 and was not in Somalia when the incidents occurred. He denounced the accusations as serving the "political agenda" of the US authorities.
While Mahad Mahmoud lacks any official documentation to support his claims, two of his relatives corroborated his account to AFP.
A document issued by the Somali police on June 28, 2025, and reviewed by AFP, showed that he had no prior convictions.
Two Somali security sources interviewed by AFP also deemed the US accusations lacking credibility. One stated, "We have no evidence of his direct involvement" in the kidnapping, while the other suggested that "the United States may have received incorrect information." In France, where foreign intelligence spent years searching for those responsible for the kidnapping of its two agents, a security source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that Mahad Mahmoud was not involved.
In the statement accusing him, the White House praised the "heroic action" of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in "pulling him out" from the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota (in the northern United States), home to a large Somali community.
Several international organizations have condemned the numerous human rights violations committed by U.S. immigration authorities as part of the mass deportation policy pursued by President Donald Trump's administration.
"A victim of injustice," Mahmoud recounted that men "with their faces covered and wearing bulletproof vests" surrounded him as he left his home and approached his car on May 27, "pointed a gun" to his head, and arrested him. Despite acknowledging that he was not mistreated during his arrest or the more than five months of detention that followed, Mahmoud, who has lived in the United States since 2022, lamented the “injustice” that shattered his dream.
“Trump is responsible for what happened to me,” said Mahmoud, who has worked primarily for Uber and Amazon. “But I’m not alone. Millions of people from all over the world who live in the United States, whether Somali or not, have been affected.”
However, the Somali community to which he belongs appears to be a clear target.
Trump has made harsh statements against Somalis, claiming that “gangs” of them are terrorizing Minnesota. In early December, he said, “I don’t want them in our country… and we’re going in the wrong direction if we continue to accept garbage.”
Mahad Mahmoud, who emphasizes the “dignity” and “morality” of his people, was ultimately deported to Mogadishu, via Kenya, in early November, along with seven other Somalis. Since returning to his country, the TikTok star has been posting videos showing his warm welcome. His popularity has skyrocketed, with nearly 100,000 new followers joining his TikTok account, and one of his videos garnering approximately 2.5 million views.
Mahad Mahmud, who had not returned to Somalia since leaving for South Africa in 2008, confirmed that he was "very happy" with the reception he received in his homeland. However, he noted that this was "largely due to the fact that people" see him as "a victim of injustice."