MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS UPDATE | Court Orders and Agreements Restrict 10 People During Minnesota State Fair

SAINT PAUL, MN (August 27, 2026) Court orders and negotiated agreements involving 10 people took effect Thursday as the Minnesota State Fair opened its 12-day run.

The restrictions arose from civil lawsuits filed August 5 by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi against two groups authorities identify as Muddy and The Ville.

Seven of the 10 people named in the lawsuits agreed not to attend the State Fair or enter a designated safety zone surrounding the fairgrounds.

Three of those individuals were identified by prosecutors as associated with Muddy, and four were identified as associated with The Ville. All seven denied gang membership.

The agreements remain effective through September 8, the day after the fair closes. If the seven comply, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the legal actions against them after the fair.

A Ramsey County District Court judge imposed different restrictions on three other people identified in the Muddy case.

The court found that Nasrudin Abdirashid Warsame, Bilal Abdi Farah and Mustafe Yusuf Omar were members of Muddy and declared the organization a criminal gang under Minnesota law.

The three were not completely barred from attending the fair. Instead, the order prohibits specified conduct within the fairgrounds and designated safety zone.

The restrictions include associating publicly with known members of the group, intimidating or confronting witnesses and complainants, using identified gang signs, forcing anyone to join the group or threatening anyone attempting to leave it.

Those restrictions took effect at 7 a.m. August 27 and continue until 6 a.m. September 8.

Warsame and Farah contested the state’s allegations through counsel. Omar did not appear in the proceeding, according to the court order.

The judge cautioned that enforcement must remain limited to the named individuals and must not subject other fairgoers, including Somali Minnesotans, to unwarranted scrutiny.

The order states that only members of specially trained field-identification teams familiar with the individuals may take enforcement action. The safeguard is intended to reduce the danger of mistaken identity.

Prosecutors sought the restrictions after citing violent incidents attributed to members or associates of the two groups and social-media material authorities interpreted as promoting a confrontation at the State Fair.

The court’s decision represents a new outcome in a subject MinneapoliMedia reported August 14, when the civil actions were pending.

The orders are preventive civil measures. They should not be interpreted as criminal convictions for conduct at the 2026 State Fair.

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