A man who strangled his seven-year-old brother to death told the police he choked him because God had ordered him to do it.

Dalal Bayle Idd, from the US state of Minnesota, was arrested by the Eden Prairie Police Department on Wednesday, 13th September after allegedly admitting that he strangled his brother Abdullahi Adod Gelle.

The 27-year-old suspect reportedly made several calls to the police after allegedly murdering his younger sibling, telling dispatchers that he had done something “for the greater good”.

He apparently did not want to go into details at first, but eventually said that he had “hurt someone else”.

He then said that “God told me to do something to prove that I’m not God.”

The police went to the home from where the calls had been made, a house belonging to the suspect’s unnamed parents, with medics then taking him to hospital after he told them that he was struggling with mental health issues.

The police said in their report: “During the encounter at the home, the defendant told officers that he was afraid his mother might try to kill him because ‘I’ve done something that may have her want to kill me.'”

The police searched the house and found two children asleep in their beds.

A third child, Idd’s brother Abdullahi, aged just 7, was found unconscious and not breathing.

Medics performed resuscitation procedures and rushed the victim to hospital, where he passed away, according to local media.

An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled.

Idd had previously been arrested and jailed for assault and aggravated robbery in 2014.

Abdullahi’s cousin Abdiwali Abdullahi has set up a GoFundMe page to pay for his funeral.

At the time of writing, it had notched up USD 28,092 (GBP 22,691) out of a USD 30,000 (GBP 24,232) goal.

The fundraising summary reads in part: “He was loved by everyone who knew him, and his loss is a devastating blow to family and friends.”

It said that the young boy “was a kind and gentle soul, always eager to make you laugh.”

It also said: “He loved to spend time with his family and play Roblox with his siblings.

“He was always smiling and laughing, and he brought joy to everyone around him.

“We are raising funds to help cover the cost of Abdalla’s funeral expenses and to ease the burden of the family.

“We know that this is a difficult time for his family, and we want to do whatever we can to help them during this difficult time.”

It was unclear at the time of writing if the suspect had been charged.