An Iraqi who had traveled to Dallas, Texas in November in order to take video footage of the home of George W. Bush, and had plans to smuggle assassins into the United States through the Mexican border and assassinate the former president had his plans foiled when the FBI uncovered the plot.
The FBI applied for a search warrant on March 23rd, which was unsealed this week in Ohio. and had uncovered the plot through surveilling the alleged plotter's WhatsApp account.
The suspect, Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, who is from Columbus, Ohio stated that the reason he wanted to assassinate the former president was that he believed Bush was responsible for killing many Iraqis in breaking the country apart after the 2003 invasion by the U.S. military, according to the warrant obtained by Forbes.
Shihab, who is an Iraqi national had been living in the United States since 2020 and had an asylum application that was pending according to the search-warrant application.
Shihab claimed to be part of "Al-Raed" that had been under the leadership of Saddam Hussein until his death, and according to information in the warrant, up to 7 members of Al-Raed would be sent to the United States to kill the former President.
The warrant said that Shhihab's job was "to locate and conduct surveillance on former president Bush’s residences and/or offices and obtain firearms and vehicles to use in the assassination."
Freddy Ford, Chief of staff for the Office of George W. Bush spoke to Forbes and said, "President Bush has all the confidence in the world in the United States Secret Service and our law enforcement and intelligence communities".
The Department of Justice said that the suspect has been charged federally with an immigration crime and aiding and abetting a plot to murder former United States President George W. Bush.
"Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52, was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents this morning and appeared in federal court here at 2:30 pm. His case was unsealed at that time" a release by the department stated.
The release also said that "Shihab originally entered the United States in September 2020 on a visitor visa, and in March 2021, he filed a claim for asylum with United States citizenship, which is pending review. He lived in both Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis and worked at markets and restaurants in both cities.
It is alleged that Shihab exchanged money with others in an attempt to illegally bring foreign nationals to the United States. For example, in August 2021, Shihab allegedly intended to help who he thought was another Iraqi citizen enter the United States for a fee of $40,000. Shihab provided specific instructions on how he would smuggle the person into the United States after 60 days. In October and December 2021, Shihab accepted tens of thousands of dollars for the purported smuggling. In reality, the individual was fictitious, and the interaction was coordinated under the direction of the FBI.
The charging document also alleges that Shihab planned to smuggle four additional Iraqi foreign nationals into the United States for the purpose of killing former President George W. Bush in retaliation for Iraqi deaths during “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Shihab then allegedly planned to smuggle the four out of the United States via the United States/Mexico border after they carried out the assassination.
In furtherance of the assassination plot, Shihab allegedly traveled to Dallas in February 2022 to conduct surveillance of locations associated with the former President. In March 2022, it is alleged Shihab met with others in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio, to look at sample firearms and law enforcement uniforms.
Attempting to illegally bring an individual into the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Aiding and abetting the attempted murder of a former United States Official carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, National Security Division; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Jaime Carazo, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight and Trial Attorney Frank Russo from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division are representing the United States in this case. A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law".
The FBI applied for a search warrant on March 23rd, which was unsealed this week in Ohio. and had uncovered the plot through surveilling the alleged plotter's WhatsApp account.
The suspect, Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, who is from Columbus, Ohio stated that the reason he wanted to assassinate the former president was that he believed Bush was responsible for killing many Iraqis in breaking the country apart after the 2003 invasion by the U.S. military, according to the warrant obtained by Forbes.
Shihab, who is an Iraqi national had been living in the United States since 2020 and had an asylum application that was pending according to the search-warrant application.
Shihab claimed to be part of "Al-Raed" that had been under the leadership of Saddam Hussein until his death, and according to information in the warrant, up to 7 members of Al-Raed would be sent to the United States to kill the former President.
The warrant said that Shhihab's job was "to locate and conduct surveillance on former president Bush’s residences and/or offices and obtain firearms and vehicles to use in the assassination."
Freddy Ford, Chief of staff for the Office of George W. Bush spoke to Forbes and said, "President Bush has all the confidence in the world in the United States Secret Service and our law enforcement and intelligence communities".
The Department of Justice said that the suspect has been charged federally with an immigration crime and aiding and abetting a plot to murder former United States President George W. Bush.
"Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52, was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents this morning and appeared in federal court here at 2:30 pm. His case was unsealed at that time" a release by the department stated.
The release also said that "Shihab originally entered the United States in September 2020 on a visitor visa, and in March 2021, he filed a claim for asylum with United States citizenship, which is pending review. He lived in both Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis and worked at markets and restaurants in both cities.
It is alleged that Shihab exchanged money with others in an attempt to illegally bring foreign nationals to the United States. For example, in August 2021, Shihab allegedly intended to help who he thought was another Iraqi citizen enter the United States for a fee of $40,000. Shihab provided specific instructions on how he would smuggle the person into the United States after 60 days. In October and December 2021, Shihab accepted tens of thousands of dollars for the purported smuggling. In reality, the individual was fictitious, and the interaction was coordinated under the direction of the FBI.
The charging document also alleges that Shihab planned to smuggle four additional Iraqi foreign nationals into the United States for the purpose of killing former President George W. Bush in retaliation for Iraqi deaths during “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Shihab then allegedly planned to smuggle the four out of the United States via the United States/Mexico border after they carried out the assassination.
In furtherance of the assassination plot, Shihab allegedly traveled to Dallas in February 2022 to conduct surveillance of locations associated with the former President. In March 2022, it is alleged Shihab met with others in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio, to look at sample firearms and law enforcement uniforms.
Attempting to illegally bring an individual into the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Aiding and abetting the attempted murder of a former United States Official carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, National Security Division; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Jaime Carazo, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight and Trial Attorney Frank Russo from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division are representing the United States in this case. A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law".
