Texas Sheriff Released Illegal Alien Jihadist After Arrest

The Jordanian who vowed jihad against Americans before trying to blow up a Texas high rise was living in the United States illegally even though he had been arrested by a local law enforcement agency that neglected to refer him for deportation. 

In yet another shameful example of how illegal alien sanctuaries across the U.S. enable dangerous felons, a local law enforcement agency with a don’t-ask-don’t-tell immigration policy freed a would-be terrorist after an arrest. In similar cases nationwide local police departments have permitted dozens of illegal immigrants to commit violent crimes—including murder and rape—against innocent Americans by releasing them instead of deporting them. 

In this case the FBI intercepted the bombing of a 60-story office building in downtown Dallas. The Jordanian illegal alien (Hosam Maher Husein Smadi) who nearly pulled it off lived in a little Texas town called Italy, located in Ellis county about 45 miles south of Dallas. Earlier in the month, Smadi had been arrested by the Ellis County Sheriff for not having a driver’s license or insurance. He paid a small fine and continued plotting his terrorist attack.  

In conversations with FBI agents posing as al-Qaeda operatives, Smadi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, said he came to the U.S. to wage jihad (holy war) against Americans and told agents he was targeting military recruitment centers but eventually settled on financial institutions because security was more lenient. Late last week he was arrested for trying to detonate explosives loaded inside a sports utility vehicle he had parked outside a Dallas skyscraper. 

Smadi has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. He first caught the attention of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force as a member of an online group of extremists. Smadi stood out based on his “vehement intention to actually conduct terror attacks in the United States,” according to the FBI arrest affidavit. In numerous communications with undercover agents, he repeatedly made clear his intention to commit violent acts of terrorism in the name of Islam. 

In the detailed affidavit, federal agents outline Smadi’s specific plans and reveal his mindset by listing radical statements he made to undercover FBI employees who are native Arabic speakers. Smadi repeatedly confirms his loyalty to Osama bin Laden, refers to Jews as dogs and vows to target everything that helps America in its war with Arabs. 

Americans should wonder how this jihadist entered the U.S., what government agency failed to detect his presence and why wasn’t he intercepted by the small local sheriff department that arrested him just days before he tried bombing a building?