An Iraqi citizen living in Columbus, Ohio, was federally charged with an immigration crime and complicity in a plot to assassinate former United States President George W. Bush. According to The Washington Times, The prosecutors are seeking 15 years in prison for the man, and he is expected to receive a sentence Monday.
"Shihab’s assistance was designed to aid in the murder of former President Bush, such conduct constituting a federal crime of terrorism," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Knight told the judge in a statement reported by The Washington Times.
Upon hearing of the case, prosecutors reported that Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52, was arrested by agents of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and appeared in federal court in May 2022.
Likewise, it was learned 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."
‘Shihab provided specific instructions on how he would smuggle the person into the United States’
Shihab is also alleged to have exchanged money with others in an attempt to illegally bring foreign nationals into 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 prosecutor highlighted.
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 of 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.
