A Somali TikToker deported from the United States after being accused by the White House of kidnapping French spies in 2009, may have been wrongly accused. Mahad Maxamud, a social media celebrity, received a hero's welcome upon his return to Somalia, with some suggesting he was a victim of online rivalries rather than a terrorist plot.

• Mahad Maxamud has over 450,000 TikTok followers and gained an additional 100,000 since the accusations.
• The White House linked Maxamud to the 2009 abduction of French officials Marc Aubriere and Denis Allex in Mogadishu.
• Both Somali and French intelligence sources have stated Maxamud was "not involved in the kidnapping."