Two Iraqi-born Palestinians who came to the United States as refugees have been arrested on federal terrorism charges, an incident that may heighten conservative fears that refugees need to be screened more closely to ensure they aren’t terrorists.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al-Hardan was arrested in Houston and Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab was arrested in Sacramento, according to Reuters.
Though neither men have been accused of plotting an attack on U.S. soil, officials say they may have been in contact with each other. Al-Hardan was charged with supporting the Islamic State group overseas, and both were charged with providing false information about their ties to what were described as international terrorist groups.
Al-Harden came to the U.S. as an Iraqi refugee in November 2009, according to a court document. The U.S. Department of Justice said Al-Jayab, 23, came to the U.S. in 2012 as a refugee from Syria.
The Justice Department “will continue to hold accountable those who seek to join or aid the cause of terrorism, whether at home or abroad,” Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said in a statement.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Tea Party Republican, cited Al-Hardan’s arrest in Houston as a reason why Texas has been seeking to block the resettlement of Syrian refugees.
“This is exactly what we have repeatedly told the Obama administration could happen and why we do not want refugees coming to Texas. There are serious questions about who these people really are, as evidenced by today’s events,” Patrick said in a statement, referring to President Obama’s promise that the U.S. would take in 10,000 Syrian refugees by Oct. 1, 2016.
In California, the U.S. attorney for Sacramento said there were no indications Al-Jayab had planned any attacks in the U.S.
“While he represented a potential safety threat, there is no indication that he planned any acts of terrorism in this country,” Wagner said.
Wagner’s spokeswoman, Lauren Horwood, added: “There is no current threat to public safety associated with this arrest.”
Since 2014, there have been more than 75 publicized arrests of U.S. residents who have become radicalized by Muslim militants.
