Accused terrorist told comrade suicide bombings against innocent civilians were a 'forgivable sin' — just like masturbation

• Ali Yasin Ahmed will stand trial in federal court in New York City
• Allegedly joined Somalia terror group al-Shabaab and recruited members
• Told his colleague not to worry about suicide bombing as a sin
• An alleged terrorist facing trial in New York City justified killing innocent people in suicide bomb attacks as a 'forgivable sin comparable to masturbation', court papers show.

Ali Yasin Ahmed made the twisted claim during conversations in 2008 intercepted by federal authorities as they put him and co-defendants Mahdi Hashi and Mohammed Yusuf under surveillance.

All three are to stand trial in Brooklyn charged with providing financial and material support to Somalian based militant group al-Shabaab, which has merged with al-Qaeda.

The recorded messages were presented to the federal court and reveal Yusuf expressing his doubts to Ahmed about traveling to Somalia in November, 2008, because he was frightened of becoming a suicide bomber in the war-torn nation.

Ahmed though calms his would-be terror colleague's fears by telling him that in his interpretation of Islam, suicide bombing attacks on civilians were easily justified.

'Ahmed minimized the significance of suicide bombings against civilian targets and suggested that if such attacks were in fact a sin, they were an immaterial, forgivable sin comparable to masturbation,' wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shreve Ariail, Seth DuCharme and Richard Tucker in court papers submitted last week.

The three al-Shabaab members were commanded from the United States by Arabi-American Jehad Mostafa, who lived in San Diego and was on the FBI's most wanted list.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2890096/Accused-terrorist-told-comrade-suicide-bombings-against-innocent-civilians-forgivable-sin-just-like-masturbation.html