ST. CLOUD — A Somali member of parliament killed in Mogadishu on Wednesday spent several years in Minnesota.

Saddo Ali Warsame, who also was a popular folk singer, was killed in a drive-by shooting for which the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.

Warsame lived in St. Cloud and Minneapolis from 2007-2012. Warsame performed in 2010 in St. Cloud during a Somali independence celebration.

Ahmed Ali Said, a candidate for St. Cloud City Council, said he had met Warsame several times and grew up listening to her sing about uniting Somalia. Mohamed Ali, a Somali lawmaker who knew Warsame, described her as “courageous and patriotic.”