‘Al Qaeda’ in Phoenix

Iraq fugitive arrested

An alleged al Qaeda leader wanted in Iraq somehow dodged immigration and was arrested — in Phoenix.

The feds did not reveal Saturday when or how fugitive Ali Yousif Ahmed AlNouri entered the US or how he then ended up in the Southwest.

Ahmed, who is wanted on charges of murdering two Iraqi police officers, appeared Friday before a federal magistrate judge in Phoenix in connection with proceedings to extradite him to Iraq, according to a statement by Michael Bailey, the US attorney for Arizona, and Brian A. Benczkowski, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Ahmed, 42, is accused of being the leader of a group of al Qaeda terrorists in Fallujah who planned operations targeting Iraqi police, according to information provided by the Iraq government in support of an extradition request, the statement said.

Ahmed and other members of the group are accused of shooting and killing two members of the Fallujah Police Directorate, including a first lieutenant in June 2006 and a police officer in October of that year, the statement said.

An Iraqi judge issued a warrant for Ahmed’s arrest and the Iraq government requested his extradition from the US. The Justice Department subsequently filed a complaint in Phoenix seeking a warrant for Ahmed’s arrest based on the extradition request, the statement said, and US Magistrate Judge John Z. Boyle issued a warrant on Aug. 29.

Ahmed was arrested on Thursday by the Phoenix field offices of the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the US Marshals Service.

“Left Seattle for safer streets and this is not very comforting,” tweeted frightened Arizona resident Sydney Powell on Saturday.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS AM [sic] AL-QAEDA LEADER/TERRORIST DOING LIVING IN #PHOENIX,” fumed Lee Morse, a Trump supporter, in another tweet.

If Ahmed’s extradition is certified by the court, the decision of whether to surrender him to Iraq will be made by the US secretary of state, officials said.