Unauthorized Somali Pirate Captured by CBP

CBP Arrests Somali National with Piracy Background

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has apprehended a Somali national known for a history of piracy, based on documents obtained recently.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrest of Syed Jamaah Ahmad, who was wanted on outstanding warrants for allegedly using and forging passports. This incident is linked to a national security case from 2012 regarding Somali piracy.

On April 14, an off-duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer noticed Ahmed walking south with a backpack, several miles north of the U.S.-Canada border. A couple of hours later, U.S. Border Patrol agents found him, contacted him, and took him into custody. Currently, he is being held in North Dakota facing immigration-related charges.

Ahmed’s record with U.S. authorities goes back to March 10, 2012, during a Navy operation. The guided missile destroyer USS Halsey responded to a distress signal from an Indian vessel that had been hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. A Navy team boarded the hijacked ship and encountered Ahmed along with other armed pirates. During this operation, U.S. officials recorded his identity, including fingerprints.

A DHS spokesperson expressed appreciation for the cooperation between CBP and Canadian authorities. However, they criticized the Biden administration’s border policy for allegedly allowing individuals with prior encounters with law enforcement to enter and stay in the country.

“The Biden administration’s loose border policies enabled this individual to illegally enter and stay here despite previous law enforcement issues,” the spokesperson commented. “We appreciate the diligent work of U.S. CBP officers and their Canadian counterparts in apprehending this person. The DHS is committed to capturing criminal illegal aliens to safeguard the U.S. homeland,” they added.

Ahmed initially entered the United States in September 2022 near San Luis, Arizona. He was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in 2024 during an investigation into fraudulent documents.