A 24-year-old Minneapolis man is in jail this week after criminal complaints allege he raped three women he had only just met over about five and a half months. Abdullahi Noor Salad faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping, and is being held on $500,000 bail ahead of a March 20 first-appearance hearing.
Allegations Laid Out In Charging Documents
According to the criminal complaints, investigators say Salad approached one woman on Nov. 8 in the Taco Bell parking lot on E. Lake Street, locked her in his car, blindfolded her and threatened her with a gun before sexually assaulting her. He then allegedly used her ATM card to withdraw $120 at a bank at 2600 E. Franklin Ave.
Police say another woman reported being raped in Salad’s apartment in the 2900 block of Park Avenue on June 15, after he offered her a ride home from a downtown restaurant. A third woman told investigators she was lured from a gas station and raped on May 26 while Salad allegedly threatened her with a switchblade.
Officers who searched Salad’s home reportedly recovered condoms and a switchblade, and detectives say a DNA sample he provided matched evidence from each woman’s sexual-assault exam, as reported by the Star Tribune.
Court Calendar Shows March 20 Appearance
The Hennepin County court calendar lists a first appearance for Salad on March 20 in the Brookdale courthouse under case number 27-CR-26-6837. That entry tracks with the allegations in the criminal complaints and the timing of filings in Hennepin County District Court.
Separate Scott County Case Also Pending
Records show Salad is also charged in Scott County with kidnapping, false imprisonment and domestic assault tied to an Aug. 30 incident in Shakopee. In that case, prosecutors allege he held a woman in a car and threw her from the vehicle while driving on Hwy. 169. A Scott County jail roster entry from Aug. 31, 2025 lists those charges and Salad’s booking.
Potential Penalties Under Minnesota Law
First-degree criminal sexual conduct is the most serious sexual-assault offense under Minnesota law and can carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $40,000. The statute also includes a presumptive executed prison term in many aggravated cases. Those penalties are spelled out in Minnesota Statutes § 609.342.
Case Still In Early Stages
Prosecutors will continue through the Hennepin County charging process, and Salad will have the opportunity to appear and respond in court. The Star Tribune reported it reached out to Salad’s attorney for comment and had not received a response. The case remains at an early stage, and any formal charges, pre-trial proceedings and possible bail hearings will determine what happens next.
