Iraqi with alleged terrorist ties arrested in Phoenix

The Arizona Republic ^ | Feb. 20, 2003 02:00 PM | Susan Carroll, Daniel Gonzalez and Carol Sowers

[occam's chainsaw]

Phoenix authorities have arrested an Iraqi man on the FBI's Watch List who is suspected of having connections to "known terrorist groups" and who fought against the United States in Desert Storm in 1991, authorities said.

Alidai Al-Hamdani, 27, was formerly employed by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to police reports. He was arrested Wednesday at a home in the 6700 block of North 32nd Drive on an outstanding warrant in Maricopa County for unlawful flight and probation violation, said Phoenix police spokesman Tony Morales.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

the first post is from KUTV-2

Here's KSL TV 5 article;

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=10590

[glock rocks]

thanks, bro.

[Cindy]

GOOGLE Search Term: "AL-HAMDANI"
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Al-Hamdani%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&filter=0

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank you. You're on now...

[Travis McGee]

Sky Harbor Bump.

[LaineyDee]

Where in the article does it state that the INS had him before?

My point is....INS should have been involved the first time this guy was picked up for a crime. Police departments alert INS when they pick up an alien. Why is the INS just now trying to check him and find out how he got in?

[Bob J]

Tonight at 6pm on RadioFR! Interviews with Grover Norquist, John Hager and Michael Zak! Plus, Doug from Upland interviews Ted Hayes, homeless advocate and strong supporter of military action in Iraq!

Click HERE to listen LIVE while you FReep! HIFI broadband feed HERE!

Click HERE to chat in the RadioFR chat room!

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[Marine Inspector]

Police departments alert INS when they pick up an alien.

Not Always. Maybe 60 to 70 percent of the time.

[B4Ranch]

I just heard on Rusty Humphrey that he heard a Seattle TV station is showing a story about three men in cammo gear that were arrested with 31 handguns, $100k and a bag full of diamonds just below the Vancouver, Canada border.

I don't know any more, that's all he said.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

is it me, or is it getting busy around here...

[LaineyDee]

Then heads should roll. It's inexcusable...especially since 9/11.

[oust the louse]

come on....this guy never picked up women.Now really....

[Marine Inspector]

Then heads should roll. It's inexcusable...especially since 9/11.

There is no law requiring State or Local law enforcement agencies to report anything to the INS, so who’s head should roll?

[B4Ranch]

Probably just you finding out exactly what goes on every darn day of the week and isn't reported.

It must be a different world when you have a team of trained killers protecting you 24/7, (for the rest of your life at the expense of the America taxpayer) Somehow you just don't understand what the average family is thinking about. He needs a kick in the crotch to get his attention then be tied to a fence post and made to listen to the people who put him into that office.

[valleygal]

Please put me ON the list. Thanks.

[doug from upland]

He only got 30 days in jail for the car chase and causing accidents. That is outrageous. I say he should spend some time in one of those Arizona jails that makes them sleep in tents and eat baloney sandwiches. Well, that or just shoot him.

[thinden]

al-hamdani doesn't ring a bell w/ me.

aristeides keeps that stuff sorted out pretty good, tho.

Algarawi said he believes Al-Hamdani entered the United States legally as a refugee who fled Iraq to escape Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. Algarawi said he believes Al-Hamdani moved to the Phoenix area from Lincoln, Neb. in 1997 and was "adjusting" to the freedoms of the United States.

originally from the "husker" sleeper cell, but arrived in 1997. that's long after the original iraqi cells were established in nebraska and oklahoma city. hmmmm.

[aristeides]

Name Al-Hamdani unfamiliar to me.

[honway]

Thanks for the flag.

[honway]

Iraqis Held in U.S. May Be Freed

By Jeff Wong
Associated Press Writer

Saturday, June 12, 1999; 6:07 a.m. EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Five former Iraqi military officers who claimed they fought Saddam Hussein and then spent 2 1/2 years in custody fighting deportation from the United States are happy to finally be getting out of jail.

``The system here is good, but the people who represent (the government) have brought shame to this country,'' said Mohammed Jwer Abboud Al-Ammary, a former military cargo plane pilot.

The Iraqis may stay in Nebraska until a friendly country agrees to accept them, a judge ruled Friday. A sixth Iraqi refused the agreement, the end to a saga that began in 1996 when the U.S. airlifted 6,500 Iraqis from Turkey following a failed coup in Iraq.

The men's families were granted asylum, but immigration authorities sought deportation and claimed they were spies for Hussein.

The men said they were grateful for the efforts to free them, especially those of former CIA Director James Woolsey, now a private lawyer. But they also feel betrayed by the U.S. government, which they say promised asylum.

Immigration Judge D.D. Sitgraves denied the men asylum in March 1998 and ordered them deported, saying they could be double agents. The men claimed they would be executed if sent home.

U.S. authorities justified their imprisonment largely on secret evidence, a practice in immigration cases that has come under fire from federal lawmakers and activists.

Last year, the INS unsealed some of the evidence -- testimony about the six Iraqis from FBI agents who discussed hunches, distaste for the detainees and their feelings about Arab culture. Woolsey called the detention ``a stain on the honor of the United States.''

The sixth Iraqi, Ali Yasim Mohammed Karim, said he will never sign the freedom deal. Authorities have given him until July 9 to change his mind. He could eventually be deported to Iraq.

The remaining five will be released within two weeks to Lincoln, Neb., where their families were resettled.

Under the deal, the men must abandon any claims for asylum here but may remain in Nebraska until they are deported to a friendly country. They must report to the INS daily, stay at home at night, accept wire taps on their telephones and stay in the country.