ISIS Member Who Applied For Refugee Status Has Been Arrested On Murder Charges In California
by Chuck Ross
A suspected ISIS member wanted for murder in Iraq faces extradition after being arrested Wednesday by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in California, where he had applied for refugee status.
Federal authorities say that Omar Ameen, 45, is wanted for the June 21, 2014 murder of an Iraqi police officer from the town of Rawah in the Anbar province.
An Iraqi court alleges that Ameen and a group of ISIS fighters entered Rawah after the town was overtaken by the terrorist group. Ameen and other ISIS members drove to the home of the officer, Ihsan Abdulhafiz Jasim, and allegedly began firing at him. Ameen allegedly shot Jasim, who was lying on the ground, on behalf of ISIS.
According to an extradition document filed in federal court on Wednesday, Ameen fled Rawah following the alleged crime and settled in Sacramento.
Authorities say that Ameen’s family helped foster the Iraqi branch of al-Qaeda (AQI) in 2004. In addition to murder, Ameen is believed to have planted explosives while living in Iraq.
Ameen arrived in the U.S. on Nov. 4, 2014, according to the extradition document, which was filed by McGregor W. Scott, a U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of California.
On a resume included in the government’s filing, Ameen claimed to have worked as an auto mechanic in Sacramento from February 2016 through February 2018. He also claims to have worked as a truck loader and laborer in Salt Lake City beginning in January 2015.
Ameen concealed his terrorist affiliations in an application for refugee status. He also applied for a green card.
The government’s court filing says that the FBI has had Ameen under investigation since 2016 for fraud and the misuse of visas. During that investigation, which included interviews with eight witnesses, the bureau was able to corroborate “Ameen’s membership in and actions on behalf of AQI and ISIS, including the murder.”
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