Palestinian Authority Terrorist Arrested Trying to Infiltrate Southern US Border | JewishPress.com | Hana Levi Julian | 11 Av 5784 – Thursday, August 15, 2024

Photo credit: Wikimedia / Qwexcxewq

A Palestinian Authority terrorist was arrested Monday as he tried to infiltrate the porous southern border with the United States, the spokesman said. The New York Post reported Thursday morning.

Omar Nawaf Issa Shehada, a 35-year-old resident of the Palestinian Authority, was on the list of individuals with a Terrorism Screening Document (TSDS).

Shehada was arrested at the border in Santa Theresa, New Mexico, according to the report, which cited a leaked memo as the source of the information. He remains in custody “pending removal from the United States.”

Nearly a year ago, after Israel invaded on October 7, the U.S. Border Patrol issued an advisory to its agents warning that Palestinian Authority terrorists might attempt to infiltrate the United States through its southern border.

“Individuals inspired by or reacting to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas may attempt to travel into or out of the Middle East zone of hostilities via circuitous transit across the southwest border,” the alert warns.

“Ideologically motivated foreign fighters or mercenaries of fortune may attempt to conceal travel to or from the United States to or from countries in the Middle East via Mexico.” The alert also lists areas of operation for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.

On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists massacred 1,200 people, tortured, raped and burned entire families, and abducted 255 others who were taken to Gaza as hostages. In addition to the four hostages held by Hamas since 2014, 111 people remain captive in Gaza – but intelligence services estimate that only 33 of them survived their ordeal.

The terrorist is “placed on the Category 15 (explosives/used weapons) watch list” according to the National Targeting Center-Border Patrol Terror Screening Data Set (TSDS) encounter report.

“Shehada traveled… from Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia on the LA flight… with a connection to Panama City, Panama,” the report said, adding that the terrorist “arrived in San Salvador, El Salvador on the flight… The TSC (Terrorist Screening Center) confirmed with the NTC (National Targeting Center) the positive result of this trip with Event.”

Shehada was travelling alone but was part of a group of seven people who were stopped at the border.

The arrest came after Border Patrol agents detained three other suspected Palestinian Authority terrorists who were trying to sneak across the border into California last month. One of the three was carrying a photo of a masked man holding an AK-47 assault rifle, sources said. The Post.

Federal agents also arrested a terrorist suspect from Turkey, in addition to three Palestinian Authority terrorists, who were taken into custody near San Diego.

The group was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force for investigation.