COLUMBUS — An Iraqi citizen living in Columbus in behind bars after he was accused of planning to assassinate former President George W. Bush, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52, was arrested by an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Tuesday morning ahead of his federal court appearance that afternoon, a U.S. DOJ spokesperson said in a media release.
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Thursday, Shihab waived his right to a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, according to our news partners at WBNS-TV.
WBNS said court documents did not provide further details about this decision.
Shihab had been in the U.S. since September 2020, arriving with a visitor visa and had filed a claim for asylum with U.S. citizenship in March 2021, the spokesperson said. He had lived in both Columbus and Indianapolis, working at markets and restaurants in both cities.
Federal investigators allege Shihab accepted money to attempt to help another person who he thought was an Iraqi citizen enter the U.S. Shihab took $40,000 and gave specific instructions to smuggle the person into the country for 60 days, federal investigators allege.
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“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 spokesperson said.
Shihab planned to smuggle four other Iraqi nationals into the United States for the purpose of killing Bush.
“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,” the DOJ spokesperson said in the media release.
Federal investigators allege Shihab traveled to Dallas in February to conduct surveillance of locations known to the former President. In March, Shihab is accused of meeting in a Columbus hotel room to look at sample firearms and law enforcement uniforms, federal investigators said.
Shihab faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of illegally bringing an individual into the U.S. He also faces up to 20 years in prison on the charge of aiding and abetting the attempted murder of a former United States Official.
A spokesperson for former President Bush sent the following statement to WBNS:
“President Bush has all the confidence in the world in the United States Secret Service and our law enforcement and intelligence communities.”
If convicted, Shihab could face up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines, according to WBNS.
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