Background: The scene of the house fire in Eden Prairie, Minn., that was set by Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi on May 31, 2024 (U.S. Attorney”s Office, District of Minnesota). Inset: Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office).
A Minnesota man faced justice in court after threatening his ex-girlfriend and setting her home ablaze.
Twenty-three-year-old Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi was sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing arson that resulted in personal injury, following his guilty plea regarding a fire at a townhome in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Abdullahi confessed that on May 31, 2024, he intended to kill his ex-girlfriend by setting her residence on fire. Fortunately, she was not at home during the incident. Inside were her new boyfriend, his three young children, and her 9-month-old baby.
Local news outlet Bring Me the News reported through a criminal complaint that Eden Prairie firefighters arrived at the scene at 11:27 a.m., where they encountered a man outside with three children, aged 1, 3, and 6. He informed the first responders that a 9-month-old infant was still inside, though he assumed one of the women living there had already rescued the baby.
Fortunately, the firefighters located the infant, who was subsequently treated at a hospital and survived the ordeal.
Prosecutors revealed that Abdullahi was the former boyfriend of the infant’s mother, who had previously filed a protective order against him. At the time of the fire, he was on probation for breaching that order. Just two days before setting the fire, Abdullahi had sent a menacing message to the woman, stating, “when I see u I’m smoke u,” and had threatened to kill her in person on the same day.
According to prosecutors, Abdullahi used a rental car, rented by a third party, to fill up a red gas can with gas the day of the fire. After parking the car at a lot down the street from the townhome, he donned plastic gloves and carried the full gas can and a bag of clothing to the home. He doused the clothing in gasoline, then set the clothing on fire at the entrance of the home.
The townhome was destroyed, and there was fire damage to the surrounding properties.
Abdullahi pleaded guilty to arson resulting in personal injury. At sentencing, the court noted that he “intended to cause the death” of his ex-girlfriend and pointed out the “calculated, cold” planning that went into the crime. Prosecutors said the court followed sentencing guidelines for attempted murder.
Abdullahi was sentenced to 180 months, or 15 years, in prison.