Sacramento Man Linked To Iraqi ISIS Murder Denied Bail

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A man arrested in Sacramento on suspicion of an Iraqi murder linked to the Islamic State faced a judge at an extradition hearing on Monday.

CBS13 cameras were not allowed in the courtroom for 45-year-old Omar Ameen‘s court appearance on Monday.

READ THE COMPLAINT: Omar Abdulsattar Ameen criminal complaint

The government of Iraq charged Ameen with premeditated murder that happened during an ISIS takeover of the Rawah District of the Al-Anbar Province. The charges stem from a witness recently linking Ameen to the 2014 attack based on a photo identification.

Ameen appeared in a Sacramento courtroom in shackles on Monday in an orange jumpsuit. He had an Arabic interpreter and some of his family was present for the hearing.

RELATED: Suspected Terrorist Living In Sacramento To Be Tried In Iraq For Killing Former Police Officer

The judge denied Ameen bail, saying the criminal complaint against his and the supporting evidence showed he may be a flight risk and a danger to the public.

Ameen was arrested by federal agents at his home on Wednesday on suspicion of taking part in an ISIS attack on an Iraqi police officer’s home in June of 2014. That same month, Ameen had been granted refugee status and later came to the United States.

RELATED: Questions Swirl Around Refugee Status Of Man Sought In ISIS Murder

Court documents say Ameen has strong ties to ISIS and Al Qaeda. After he entered the country, Ameen found work at a local auto body shop.

Former federal prosecutor Bill Portanova says Ameen has a strong defense team who will be focused on determining if Ameen is the man who is named in the complaint. He adds it will be treated like a capital murder case due to how Iraq treats ISIS members and the crimes that are alleged.

ISIS took control of the of the Rawah District of the Al-Anbar Province on June 21, 2014, and the next day investigators say Ameen was part of a four-vehicle ISIS convoy that opened fire on a home of a former Iraqi police officer on June 22.

RELATED: Feds: Ex-ISIS Fighter Found In Sacramento Entered As A Refugee

The Iraqi government alleges Ameen fired his weapon at the victim, Ihsan Abdulhafiz Jasim, who was on the ground, killing him with a gunshot wound to the chest.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

June 21, 2014 – ISIS seizes control of the Rawah District of Al-Anbar Province, erects checkpoints.

June 22, 2014 – An four-vehicle ISIS convoy opens fire on a home. The man inside returns fire, but is eventually killed. A witness says Omar Abdulsattar Ameen fired the lethal shot into the victim’s chest.

April 11, 2014 – Intelligence officials say they have information on the murder of Jasim.

April 12, 2018 – Court receives details about the 2014 attack. Details came from a witness who investigators say was able to identify Ameen as the shooter from ISIS videos and photos.

May 16, 2018 – A judge in Iraq issues a warrant for Ameen’s arrest.

June 4, 2018 – Iraqi government files request for extradition

July 18, 2018 – American Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman certifies the request by the Iraqi government

Aug. 14, 2018 – Warrant submitted by investigators and granted by a judge in Sacramento.

Aug. 15, 2018 – Ameen is taken into custody and has his first hearing in Sacramento

Aug. 20, 2018 – Ameen denied bail at hearing.

Sept. 5, 2018 – Ameen’s next scheduled hearing

An report from Iraqi intelligence says Ameen worked with building material supplies and had a shopping center in the Rawah district. Investigators tied him to terrorist cells in 2004, saying he was a founder of al-Tawhid Wa al Jihad, an Al Qaida organization. They also say he was a close associate of Abu Mus’ab Al-Zaraqawi, a man at the center of many bombings, attacks and beheadings in Iraq before his death in a U.S. strike in 2006.

The report also links Ameen to an armed attack against an Iraqi army headquarters in 2006 where soldiers were taken hostage and executed. </s> Omar Ameen, 45, an Iraqi national, wanted on a murder charge in Iraq, appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Sacramento, California today in connection with proceedings to extradite him to face trial in Iraq. Ameen settled in Sacramento as a purported refugee and attempted to gain legal status in the United States. 

 

 The arrest was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott for the Eastern District of California, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, and Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office. 

 

 An arrest warrant charging Ameen with the 2014 murder of an Iraqi police officer was issued on May 16, by a judge of the Baghdad Federal Al-Karkh Inquiry Court. In accordance with its treaty obligations with Iraq, the United States filed a complaint in Sacramento seeking a warrant for Ameen’s arrest based on the extradition request. U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan issued the warrant on Tuesday, and Ameen was arrested by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Sacramento today. 

 

 The Iraqi arrest warrant and extradition request allege that after the town of Rawah, Iraq fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) on June 21, 2014, Ameen entered the town with a caravan of ISIS vehicles and drove to the house of the victim, who had served as an officer in the Rawah Police Department. On the evening of June 22, 2014, after the caravan arrived at the victim’s house, Ameen and other members of the convoy allegedly opened fire on the victim. Ameen then allegedly fired his weapon at the victim while the victim was on the ground, killing him. 

 

 Ameen, originally of Rawah, in the Anbar province of Iraq, fled Iraq following the alleged murder, and later settled in Sacramento as a purported refugee. It is alleged that Ameen’s family supported and assisted the installation of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in Rawah, and that Ameen was a member of 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. 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. 

 

 The details contained in the charging document are allegations and have not been proven in court. 

 

 Today’s arrest and efforts to initiate the extradition process are the product of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Department of Justice — in particular the Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs, which played a significant role — the U.S. Department of State, the FBI — in particular the FBI Sacramento Field Office which provided considerable resources to further this investigation and ensure the safety of the American people throughout it — and ICE-Homeland Security Investigations.

 

 Attachment(s):
Omar Ameen, a man arrested in Sacramento on suspicion of a 2014 Iraqi murder linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, faces a judge at an extradition hearing. He is denied bail.