Mpls. man charged with raping 10-year-old in Riverside Plaza

Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis
Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis.
Jim Mone | AP 2011
Ahmed Hersi Abdi
Ahmed Hersi Abdi was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Courtesy of Hennepin County Sheriff

A 10-year-old girl was raped in the hallway of Riverside Plaza Sunday before witnesses heard her screaming and alerted the police, according to charges.

On Tuesday, Ahmed Abdi, a 34-year-old Minneapolis man, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A surveillance camera video that police reviewed showed the man entering the elevator with the girl.

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses who heard the girl scream flagged down police outside the complex in Cedar Riverside neighborhood. They told police they saw the girl crying.

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The girl told police the suspect extended his hand to her, but refused to let go after she shook his hand. She said he told her not to move and raped her in the east hallway of the third floor of Riverside Plaza.

The girl was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

She described the suspect. Police later identified Abdi from the video and arrested him in St. Paul. He was booked into jail Monday morning.

Abdi remains in jail on $500,000 bail. He will make his first court appearance Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.