An Alabama man who owns a plumbing company is accused of trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife and six adult children during a divorce battle, according to federal prosecutors.
Mohammed A.H. Mohammed, 63, who runs American Plumbing Services LLC in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood, is charged with using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of a murder-for-hire operation, according to court documents.
According to the Justice Department, Mohammed offered an undercover FBI agent posing as a hit man $20,000 to kill his wife and $5,000 each to kill his six children.
“Six kids and their mother. Pick who you kill and get the money,” he allegedly told FBI agents, according to court documents.
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Mohammed A.H. Mohammed is accused of attempting to murder his wife and six adult children. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
In a conversation with a witness who asked him to find someone to “take care” of his family, Mohammed allegedly said he was “willing to die for my dignity” and “willing to die for my pride.” The witness then linked Mohammed to an undercover FBI agent, according to prosecutors.
According to the complaint, Mohammed and his wife married in March 2021, but their relationship was rife with violence. During a meeting between Mohammed and the alleged hitman on Sept. 20, Mohammed said his family was against him.
He then allegedly gave instructions on how to carry out the murder.
“Start with one,” Mohammed said. “Take your time.”
The marital discord was nothing new to local police: In 2021, Mohammed was arrested for allegedly assaulting one of his daughters. The charges were eventually dropped.
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A street view of American Plumbing Services, run by A.H. Mohammed. Mohammed is accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife and six adult children. (Google Maps)
That same year, the wife obtained three abuse prevention orders from her husband, claiming she feared for her life.
“Mohammed has hurt me and my children and has used a weapon to attack me,” she wrote. “Mohammed said he wanted to shoot my daughter between the eyes.”
She also said her husband had locked her family in the basement and threatened to kill them, according to court documents.
“He constantly threatens me and my children with violence,” she said. “He has assaulted my children, sending them to the emergency room. He has held guns and knives to their heads and throats. He has fired guns at us.”
Mohammed was indicted on a felony charge of first-degree stalking in April 2022. Prosecutors accused him of placing GPS tracking devices on his wife and other family members' vehicles, which violated a protective order against him.
On January 3, 2023, authorities were dispatched to the home of his wife's best friend on a report of a vehicle arson. Surveillance footage showed the suspect vehicle used in the arson. The vehicle was registered to Mohammed's name. The following day, Mohammed's son's Ram pickup truck was set on fire in the driveway of his wife's home.
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The Department of Justice seal was unveiled at a press conference held at the Department of Justice office in Washington on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In the following months, GPS tracking devices were found attached to vehicles owned by Mohammed's wife and daughter, and several other family vehicles were found burned in suspicious fires.
According to prosecutors, in December 2023, Mohammed's wife received a call from her husband's representatives trying to persuade her to repair their divorce. She refused, and 12 hours later, the Toyota Avalon in which her daughter was riding burned down in a mysterious fire.
Mohammed was arrested three days later on suspicion of stalking, during which a witness recording was played in court in which he was heard saying, “No, hurt my family and God will punish me.”
He was released on bail in February.
