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Eleven Iranian nationals with either transgression records oregon suspected violent ties who had been surviving successful the United States illegally were arrested implicit the play portion American warfare planes were bombing atomic facilities successful their homeland, national officials announced Tuesday.
In addition, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a U.S. national who is alleged to person harbored 1 of the Iranian nationals and threatened to “shoot ICE officers successful the head,” the Department of Homeland Security said successful a statement.
Before President Donald Trump gave the last bid for the onslaught connected the atomic sites, Iran warned it would unleash violent attacks connected the United States utilizing sleeper cells wrong the country, NBC News reported Sunday, citing 2 U.S. officials and a idiosyncratic with cognition of the threat. DHS did not accidental immoderate of the men who were arrested were suspected of being portion of immoderate violent plan, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that DHS had not identified immoderate credible threats to U.S. soil.
Unrelated to the arrests, a New York City-based migration lawyer said ICE took an Iranian lawsuit of his into custody Monday adjacent though helium does not person a transgression grounds and was granted asylum successful August aft helium told a justice helium faced persecution successful Iran for converting to Christianity.
“They gave him nary crushed for wherefore they took him into custody,” the lawyer, Farzad Siman, told NBC News. “But helium told maine that determination were different Iranians with him.”
Siman said his 48-year-old client, whom helium asked to beryllium identified lone arsenic Ali to support his household backmost successful Iran, has ne'er breached immoderate U.S. laws. He said Ali instantly applied for asylum aft helium crossed the borderline into the state from Mexico connected July 1, 2022.
“He is simply a Christian person from Islam and applied for asylum due to the fact that helium faces persecution for spiritual reasons if helium were to instrumentality to Iran,” Siman said.
Immigration Judge Richard Bailey, based successful Pennsylvania, said astatine Ali’s asylum proceeding successful August that helium recovered Ali’s grounds “credible,” according to tribunal records.
“The accusation helium provided during grounds was accordant with the Asylum Application and different documentary evidence, including his declaration and the witnesser declarations,” Bailey ruled, according to the records.
The authorities appealed the ruling successful September, and portion his entreaty was being considered, Ali was required to regularly cheque successful with ICE, Siman said.
“He was expected to cheque successful today, but yesterday helium got a telephone asking him to travel into a halfway retired of Long Island,” Siman said. “He did, and helium was taken into custody.”
DHS did not instantly reply to a petition for remark astir Ali’s arrest.
In announcing the 11 arrests, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said DHS “has been afloat throttle connected identifying and arresting known oregon suspected terrorists and convulsive extremists that illegally entered this country.”
All of the Iranians arrested implicit the play and taken into ICE custody are men, and 5 of them person erstwhile transgression convictions for expansive larceny, cause and firearm possession and different crimes.
A antheral named “Karimi ne'er adjusted his presumption — a ineligible request — and is removable from the United States,” the DHS said.
Mehran Makari Saheli, 56, a erstwhile subordinate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was arrested astatine his location adjacent St. Paul, Minnesota. Saheli has “admitted connections to Hezbollah,” a U.S.-designated overseas violent enactment backed by Iran, according to DHS. He served a 15-month situation condemnation for a firearm possession conviction.
In February, a antheral named Mehridehno “was listed arsenic a known oregon suspected terrorist, and he’s present successful ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” DHS said.
Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand was arrested Sunday successful Tempe, Arizona, on with Linet Vartaniann, the American national who is alleged to person threatened to sprout ICE officers.
Eidivand had been successful the United States since June 2012, DHS said.
ICE agents successful Houston arrested Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, an Iranian nationalist who entered the United States successful Houston successful 2016 connected an F-1 pupil visa.
Hamid Reza Bayat, who was besides arrested successful Houston, was successful the state successful defiance of an migration judge’s bid to permission the United States that was issued Aug. 4, 2005, according to DHS.
Since then, according to DHS, Bayat has doubly been convicted of cause crimes and erstwhile of driving connected a suspended license. He besides served clip down bars, for which DHS gave nary specifics.
Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour were arrested Sunday astatine the location they shared successful Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Shafiei had been nether orders to permission the state since astatine slightest January 1987. His transgression past includes authorities and national convictions for cause crimes and arrests for battle and kid abuse, DHS said.
Mehdipour had been successful the United States since June 2023, DHS said.
Also successful DHS custody are:
Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani, 62, who was arrested successful San Francisco and whose transgression grounds includes a 1994 condemnation for petty theft and a 1995 condemnation for possession of a controlled substance for sale. He had been sentenced to 10 years successful a authorities situation for the cause conviction.
Mohammad Rafikian, 65, was arrested by ICE successful Buffalo, New York. His grounds includes convictions for expansive larceny, schemes to defraud, transgression impersonation and practicing arsenic an attorney.
Arkavan Babk Moirokorli, 57, was arrested successful San Diego. He had been convicted of forging an authoritative seal.
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