The Androscoggin County District Attorney’s Office alerted Lewiston police on Aug. 26 to suspicious phone activity by a Lewiston juvenile being held at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, authorities said.
In monitored calls, the juvenile used a girlfriend to relay messages to associates, directing them to pressure two people to confess to a recent shooting and threatening violence, including plans to obtain a gun to carry out those threats, the Lewiston Police Department said in a news release.
After identifying and interviewing everyone involved, investigators consulted prosecutors, and the juvenile was charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The juvenile remains at Long Creek, police said.
Shamsi Abdinoor, 18, and Mahad Abdikadir, 18, both of Lewiston, were arrested and are being held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail, police said. Each faces charges of criminal conspiracy; tampering with a witness, informant, juror or victim; and criminal solicitation, according to police.
Authorities released no additional details about the shooting referenced in the calls. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
