Minneapolis, Minnesota 27 June 2007 - A prominent Somali playwright accused of molesting a 10-year-old girl missed two court dates this week and may have fled the country, sources told Minnesota Monitor.

Mahamud Abdullahi Isse, 71, of Minneapolis, was charged last January with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to a complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, the alleged incident took place in 1995. The victim, who is now 21, was staying at a relative's house where Isse frequently visited. She regarded him as an "uncle."

He would bring her candy bars and allegedly would get into her bed, fondle her breasts and had sex with her, according to the complaint.

The victim, who moved to Washington state in 1997, was in Minneapolis in January last year for a visit when she ran into Isse at the Somali mall. The complaint said that Isse gave her his phone number and said he wanted to see her again. She would later record their phone conversations, in which he allegedly admits having sex with her when she was 10.

Widely known as Sangub, Isse also admitted to investigators that he fondled the young girl, according to the complaint.

The highly respected playwright and actor pleaded not guilty. He was out on bail, but failed to show up for his trial on Monday. The judge set Tuesday as the next date, fortified his old bail and doubled it to $300,000, according to Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Amy Sweasy, who is prosecuting the case.

When he didn't show up again for court on Tuesday, the judge issued an arrest warrant. Isse's attorney, Richard J. Cohen of St. Paul, who was at the court on both days, said he doesn't know the whereabouts of his client.

Cohen said he spoke with Isse about 10 days ago. Sources familiar with Isse, who didn't want to be identified out of respect for his family, confirmed for Minnesota Monitor that he was in Minnesota 10 days ago. But the sources learned that Isse was sneaked out of the country late last week.

Both Isse's attorney and the county attorney's office said they didn't know that. Sweasy cautioned that Isse's friends might disseminate inaccurate information about him so that authorities will stop looking for him.

"That's not going to happen," she said. "But if it's true that he fled the country, it shows that he was not willing to face the charges against him."

Isse's case sent shock waves within the Somali community in Minnesota. Many Somalis said they never believed that the talented poet and director of many hit plays and films would do such a thing. His work is full of anecdotes and noble words for women.

"He's a national hero who is bigger than what he's accused," said Yusuf Yusuf, known as Liban DJ, a filmmaker who worked with Isse on several plays.

But his sudden disappearance cast serious doubt on his credibility, many Somalis said. Minnesota Monitor's source didn't know where Isse may have gone.

Abdirahman Aynte can be reached at Ceynte@hiiraan.com

Source: Minnesota Monitor