A suspected ISIS member was arrested in Sacramento, California, on Aug. 15 after he was wanted for the 2014 murder of a police officer, officials said in a statement.
Omar Ameen, 45, an Iraqi national, is accused of entering a town with a “caravan of ISIS vehicles” after Iraq fell to the terrorist group in June 2014 and killing a Rawah police officer.
An Iraq arrest warrant, issued by an Iraqi judge on May 16 this year, alleged that after the caravan of four vehicles carrying armed members of ISIS terrorist group arrived at the victim’s house, several group members, including Ameen, opened fire on the victim’s family home, according to court documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ). In response, the victim—identified as Ihsan Abdulhafiz Jasim—returned fire with a rifle.
At one point, Ameen allegedly shot at the victim when he was lying on the ground. The victim was transported to a hospital where he later died from a gunshot to the chest.
ISIS then announced the killing on social media in a post which stated: “Today is the day to eliminate some rotten heads. Now in Rawah, the criminal Ihsan [Abdulhafiz] has been eliminated at the hands of the Mujahidin,” court documents reveal.
A witness eventually identified Ameen as the person who killed the police officer from a suspect photo, another court document said.
Following the alleged murder, Ameen immigrated to the United States and settled in Sacramento as a “purported refugee.”
A subsequent arrest warrant seeking Ameen’s arrest was issued in Sacramento on Aug. 14. Ameen was then arrested by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force the next day.
He appeared in court on Aug. 15 in relation to proceedings to “extradite him to face trial in Iraq.”
Suspect Investigated By FBI Since 2016
As part of the proceedings, officials also alleged that Ameen’s family supported and assisted with the installation of or al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in Rawah. He is a suspected to be a member of both AQI and ISIS.
“It is also alleged that he participated in various activities in support of those terrorist organizations, including helping to plant improvised explosive devices, and committing the murder that is the subject of the extradition request,” the news release stated.
“Ameen concealed his membership in those terrorist groups when he applied for refugee status, and later when he applied for a green card in the United States.”
Court documents also reveal that the FBI has investigated Ameen since 2016 for the suspected fraud, misuse of visa, permits and other documents, among other suspected violations. As part of the investigation, the FBI interviewed at least eight witnesses and received documents from Iraq, which confirmed Ameen’s involvement with AQI and ISIS.
“He is not known to have ever renounced his membership in either group,” according to the court documents.
According to the statement, the DOJ, the Department of State, the FBI, and ICE-Homeland Security Investigations were involved in the Aug. 15 arrest.
An extradition treaty between the United States and Iraq has been in force since June 7, 1934.
