Kenyan Politician Arrested in US Crackdown on Sex with Minors

Former parliamentary candidate among 12 men caught in Minnesota sting operation targeting solicitation of underage girls

A Kenyan politician who unsuccessfully sought a parliamentary seat in 2022 was among 12 men arrested in a multi-agency sting operation in Minnesota after allegedly attempting to solicit sex from what they believed was an underage girl.

Abdullahi Yussuf Sheikh Nur, 46, was arrested Monday at a golf course in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, carrying $250 in cash and a mobile phone, according to police documents.

The Eden Prairie Police Department said all 12 suspects, ranging in age from 24 to 46, believed they were arranging to pay for sex with a girl under 18 but were actually communicating with an undercover detective.

The operation, conducted across the Twin Cities metropolitan area, represents the 38th such sting carried out by Eden Prairie Police over the past nine years.

According to court documents, Nur had responded to an online advertisement and continued communications with the undercover officer even after being explicitly told the person was underage.

“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,’” court documents stated. “Nur continued to arrange to meet the undercover officer.”

Police confirmed the suspects’ identities through confirmatory text messages sent to the phone numbers used in the communications, with all texts successfully delivered to the arrested men’s devices.

Ten of the 12 arrested men, including Nur, face charges of prostitution involving a person reasonably believed to be between 16 and 17 years old.

Under Minnesota law, this felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

The suspects were arrested upon arrival at a designated location in Eden Prairie, where they believed they would meet the minor for commercial sex.

Most of the men live across the Twin Cities metro area, with one suspect from Wisconsin.

Sheikh Nur, who sought elected office in Kenya’s 2022 parliamentary elections without success, now faces serious criminal charges in the United States.

Police have not released additional details about the specific online platforms used in the operation or whether the investigation has uncovered additional suspects.

The case remains under investigation as prosecutors prepare to move forward with formal charges against all 12 suspects.