The mother of a Columbus terror suspect spoke out Monday in defense of her son.  Nuradin Abdi's mother said there is no way her son is an enemy of the state.

Monday was a difficult day for Nadifa Hassan after learning her son has been indicted as being part of a plot to blow up a Columbus-area mall.  Through an interpreter, she insisted her son is innocent.

"I know my son.  He's not a terrorist. He would not be blowing up any place. He's not that kind of person," the interpreter said for Hassan, a native of Somalia.

But the government says 34-year-old Nuradin Abdi planned to blow up a shopping center in Central Ohio.

The FBI says the plot never got far enough to designate a specific mall.

Abdi's mother says her son was about peace and worked hard to raise money for his family.

"He was was a very caring person, a family person. (he) Just worked for us and supported all the family.  And he's not that kind of person."

Abdi use to work at strip mall on Morse Road as a cell phone dealer.  He left the business around Thanksgiving when he was accused of immigration violations and arrested.

His mother says she doesn't have the money to hire an attorney.  She is hoping the local Somali community will offer financial help.