Somali TikToker Deported From US for Spy Kidnapping May Be Innocent

Mahad Maxamud’s name has travelled across continents over the past few months, but the story behind his deportation has become more complicated than the initial accusations suggested. The Somali TikToker, known for his sharp commentary and more than 450,000 followers, was sent back to Mogadishu after the White House labelled him an “illegal scumbag” and accused him of aiding the kidnapping of two French intelligence officers in 2009. Yet testimonies gathered from Somali and French intelligence sources now raise serious doubts about the claims made against him.

Maxamud’s return to Somalia last month sparked a wave of celebration. Videos showed him stepping off a plane, surrounded by supporters who view him as both a celebrity and a victim of political targeting. His online popularity has grown even further since the accusations, adding more than 100,000 followers since the White House post.

The allegations against him stem from the 2009 abduction of Marc Aubriere and Denis Allex, two French operatives posing as journalists while training Somali forces during a period when Al-Shabaab held control of Mogadishu. Aubriere eventually escaped while Allex was executed after a failed rescue attempt more than three years later. However, Somali security agents interviewed by AFP said they had never connected Maxamud to the incident. “We don’t have information directly connecting him to the abductions,” said one agent. In France, a DGSE security source was even more direct: “Mahad Maxamud was not involved in the kidnapping.”

Why was Maxamud targeted in the first place?

Maxamud told AFP he had moved to South Africa a year before the kidnapping took place. “I was not involved and it’s not true,” he said. His journey later took him to the United States in 2022, where he worked for Amazon and Uber until May, when ICE agents arrested him in Minnesota. “There was a lot of men whose faces were covered, wearing bulletproof vests, who put a gun to my head and arrested me,” he recounted.

Tensions surrounding Somali migrants in the US have grown sharply, with President Donald Trump recently calling them “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from.” That political atmosphere has intensified concerns that Maxamud may have been a convenient target rather than a legitimate security threat. “I blame Trump for what happened to me, but it’s not just limited to me. It’s affected people from all over the world who’ve come to the United States – Somalis and non-Somalis alike,” he said.

In November, he was deported alongside seven other Somalis, arriving in Mogadishu through Kenya. Since then, he has positioned himself as a returning public figure, posting sleek videos of his homecoming and meeting with Ahmed Abdi Kariye, the president of Galmudug, his home region.

Could online rivals be behind the allegations?

As researchers and local observers have noted, Somali TikTok culture is often charged with rivalry and clan-based competition. Maxamud’s outspoken persona and large following have made him a central figure in online “battles” where creators trade jokes and insults to earn digital gifts from viewers. These confrontations frequently take on ethnic dimensions rooted in Somalia’s clan identities, and in extreme cases, they spill into offline tensions.

Some in Somalia believe the accusations may have been fueled by competitors seeking to damage his reputation. A few online articles linked him to the kidnapping, but these appeared on sites such as Suna Times, which is operated by Dahir Alasow, a Netherlands-based TikTok rival. “Mahad had a huge impact online and some envied him and possibly went to extreme lengths to get him in trouble,” said his nephew, Ibrahim Ahmed Hersi.

The power of social media in Somali communities can be unpredictable. “A TikTok video filmed in Minnesota can trigger (armed) clan mobilisation in Somalia within hours,” explained Jethro Norman of the Danish Institute for International Studies. In such a charged environment, misinformation can travel fast, particularly when amplified by political rhetoric abroad and clan rivalries at home.

As of now, the White House has not responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Maxamud’s influence continues to grow, turning what began as a deportation into a moment that has strengthened his public image. The doubts expressed by both Somali and French intelligence sources now place even more attention on how online conflicts, political narratives, and immigration enforcement may have collided to shape his story.

By Lucky Anyanje