An Iraqi man living in Ohio plotted to smuggle ISIS sympathizers into the United States who “could be killed in the line of duty” to kill former President George W. Bush, court records reveal. Ta.
Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 53, believed the former commander-in-chief was responsible for killing many Iraqis and destroying the country during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Shihab pleaded guilty last year to attempting to provide material support to terrorists and was sentenced in February to more than 14 years in prison for the conspiracy, details of which were revealed in court documents.
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assassination plan
Shihab supported al-Qaeda during the war as a gun courier. Federal court documents say the suspect brought weapons from Syria to Iraq and smuggled vehicles loaded with explosives set as traps on roads known to be traveled by Americans.
Mr. Shihab’s plot included two former Iraqi intelligence agents who planned to carry out the actual assassination while Mr. Shihab spied on the former president’s home in Texas and coordinated his travel arrangements. , court documents show.
He planned to smuggle Iraqi nationals across the U.S.-Mexico border for thousands of dollars, and was said to be plotting assassinations with an anonymous informant identified in court documents as “CS1.” I didn’t know that at all.
In a recorded conversation with a confidential FBI source, Shihab admitted he “wanted to be involved in the actual attack and assassination of former President Bush” and said he would be “proud” to give his life. says the criminal complaint.
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He planned to smuggle at least seven assassins, all Iraqis, across the U.S.-Mexico border for thousands of dollars each.
In the fall of 2021, he believed he had successfully smuggled an ISIS member into the United States for $40,000, but “actually, the person was fictitious and this interaction was orchestrated under the direction of the FBI.” ” said an Ohio federal prosecutor. press release.
Read the full criminal complaint
Court documents do not say what first brought Mr. Shihab to the attention of federal law enforcement or tipped them off about the plot.
However, the complaint details multiple meetings recorded between Shihab and “CS1” between April 2021 and May 2022.
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In February 2022, Shihab traveled with “CS1” to Dallas, where he recorded the driveway leading to Bush’s home and “twice passed through the front access gate leading into the neighborhood,” court documents state. .
He also recorded President Bush’s front gate and the surrounding area leading to the adjacent property and the George W. Bush Research Institute, according to the criminal complaint.
Photos from March 23, 2003. Suspect Hassan Akbar ambushed and attacked other U.S. military personnel, killing two and injuring 14 others. (U.S. Army Sergeant Major (retired) Bart E. Womack)
An FBI informant persuaded Shihab not to send the video to the assassin, saying the video could be intercepted by the U.S. government.
The former president was reportedly never worried, despite how close Shihab appeared to be.
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President Bush’s chief of staff, Freddie Ford, said after Shihab’s arrest in May 2022, “President Bush has the world’s confidence in the U.S. Secret Service and our nation’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies.” ” he told the Guardian.
On November 23, 2004, four insurgents carried out a bloody attack on U.S. Marines from Light Armored Reconnaissance Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines in Fallujah, killing one American and wounding many others. Rockets were fired to clear the area of houses. Iraq. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
He was ultimately arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in May 2022 and charged in federal court with attempting to provide material support to terrorists.
Shihab pleaded guilty last March and was sentenced to 178 months in prison in February.
He will likely be deported after his prison sentence, but will be on supervised release for life.
How did Shihab enter the country?
Prosecutors said Shihab arrived in the country on a tourist visa in September 2020 and held various jobs in Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, including at markets and restaurants.
In March 2021, he filed an asylum claim along with his US citizenship, which was pending review at the time of his arrest.
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Shihab obtained fake divorce papers from his wife in Iraq and obtained immigration status through a fake marriage to an American.
