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U.S. NEWS Monday 24 april 2017
Convicted jihadist with California

ties loses U.S. citizenship

OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A
federal judge revoked the
U.S. citizenship of a man
who prosecutors say ran
a communications hub for
an Egyptian terrorist group
out of his Northern Califor-
nia apartment, authorities
said.
Judge Beryl Howell of the
U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia last
week ordered the “de-
naturalization” of Khaled
Abu al-Dahab, 57, for ly-
ing to immigration officials
during the process to gain
U.S. citizenship, the U.S.
Department of Justice an-
nounced Thursday.
The Justice Department
said the Egypt native was Protesters hold up signs out-
a member of the terror- side a courthouse where a
ist organization Egyptian federal judge will hear argu-
Islamic Jihad for 10 years ments in the first lawsuit chal-
starting in 1989, three years lenging President Donald
Trump’s executive order to
after moving to the United withhold funding from com-
States. munities that limit cooperation
The former Silicon Valley with immigration authorities
car salesman admitted Friday, April 14, 2017, in San
he spent two months at Francisco.
a camp near Jalalabad, Associated Press
Afghanistan, where he re- because their U.S. pass-
ceived military-style train- ports could be used to fa-
ing and taught foreign cilitate international travel
fighters to fly hang gliders by al Qaeda terrorists, and
in preparation for terrorist that bin Laden personally
attacks. He also admitted congratulated him for this
to the FBI that he operated work, the department said.
a communications hub for Al-Dahab became a U.S.
the group out of his Santa citizen on Feb. 7, 1997.
Clara, California, apart- The next year he traveled
ment, the department to Egypt, where he was
said. arrested, convicted and
Al-Dahab also admitted to sentenced to 15 years in
U.S. investigators that he prison for being a member
worked to recruit Ameri- of a terrorist organization
cans of Middle Eastern de- and trying to overthrow
scent into the terrorist net- the Egyptian government.
work during his 12 years in He has lived in Alexandria,
California. Al-Dahab told Egypt, since his 2011 re-
the investigators that Osa- lease.
ma bin Laden was eager “We will protect our na-
to recruit American citizens tional security and our bor-
of Middle Eastern descent ders, and when we identify
individuals tied to foreign
terrorist organizations who
procured their U.S. citi-
zenship by fraud, we will
initiate denaturalization
proceedings — whether
you reside here or abroad
— and ensure you are de-
nied entry into the United
States,” Attorney General
Jeff Sessions said.q