The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has detailed charges against an Iraqi citizen living in Columbus, Ohio, whom the agency alleged was involved in plans to murder former President George W. Bush.
Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52, was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents and charged federally with an immigration crime and aiding and abetting a plot to kill Bush.
Shihab originally entered the United States in September 2020 on a visitor visa and, in March 2021, filed a claim for asylum with United States citizenship, which is pending review.
Shihab lived in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana, and worked at markets and restaurants in both cities. The DOJ alleges that Shihab exchanged money with others in an attempt to bring foreign nationals to the United States illegally.
According to the DOJ, 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, with Shihab providing instructions regarding smuggling the person into the United States after 60 days.
Shihab accepted tens of thousands of dollars for the purported smuggling in October and December 2021, the DOJ noted, detailing the individual was fictitious, and the interaction was coordinated under the direction of the FBI.
The DOJ document additionally alleged Shihab planned to smuggle four additional Iraqi foreign nationals into the United States to kill former President George W. Bush in retaliation for Iraqi deaths during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Attempting to illegally bring an individual into the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison, per the DOJ, while aiding and abetting the attempted murder of a former United States Official carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years.