Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 20

ICE Deports California Imam Linked To Al Qaeda

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A 38-year-old former imam of a Lodi, Calif., mosque was deported to Pakistan after ICE attorneys presented evidence tying him to the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

According to ICE attorneys, Shabbir Ahmed's long-term goal was to establish a madrassah, or religious school, in Lodi (90 miles East of San Francisco) similar to one in Rawalpindi, Pakistan believed to be used to recruit individuals to engage in jihad.

Ahmed was initially picked up on immigration violations and was deported September 24 on board a commercial flight escorted by ICE officers.

“With Ahmed’s removal, ICE has once again fulfilled its mission to protect our country,” said Ronald E. Le Fevre, ICE chief counsel in San Francisco.

“His removal sends a strong message that ICE will continue to use every tool at its disposal to preserve the integrity of our immigration system and prevent foreign nationals who pose a threat to this country from conducting activities within our borders.”

During Ahmed’s immigration proceedings, ICE attorneys presented evidence tying the Lodi cleric to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. That evidence included a diagram showing the relationship between Ahmed and several other Lodi-area men who have been taken into custody by federal authorities.

One of those individuals, Imam Mohammad Adil Khan, was arrested by ICE on immigration violations and removed to Pakistan last month. Two other men, Umer Hayat, and his son, Hamid Hayat, have been indicted on criminal charges.

Ahmed’s deportation followed an immigration hearing where he accepted an order of removal to Pakistan. ICE agents took Ahmed into custody June 6 for violating the terms of his visa.

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