US seeks to denaturalize citizen convicted for supporting Hamas in Israel
A lawsuit has been filed against Abdul Jabbar Naji Shalabi, who is accused of concealing a conviction in Israeli courts from the US authorities.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSA member of security forces loyal to Hamas stands guard as supporters of former senior Fatah official Mohammad Dahlan take part in a rally marking the death anniversary of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, in Gaza City November 9, 2017(photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the naturalized citizenship of Abdul Jabbar Naji Shalabi, who is accused of falsely obtaining citizenship by concealing a conviction in Israel for supporting Hamas activities.Shalabi, 39, a native of Jordan currently residing in Ypsilanti, Michigan, first moved to the United States in 1997. A few years later he left the States to study at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank.According to the complaint brought against him, in late 2002, Shalabi was arrested by the Israeli authorities on suspicion of concealing acetone, a material used for bomb-making, on behalf of Hamas bomb maker Ahmad Abu-Taha, a charge to which he pled guilty in an Israeli court in 2003, and for which he was incarcerated.Upon his release, he returned to the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 2005 having concealed his arrest, conviction, imprisonment and material support given to Hamas.The complaint against him has been filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan.“This administration is dedicated to keeping the American people safe and protecting the integrity of our legal immigration system,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a senior official performing the duties of the deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. “Through his behavior, this individual has proven unqualified for citizenship in the United States and must be held accountable for fraudulently obtaining that incredible privilege.”“Any person who obtains American citizenship through lies is not entitled to the benefit of citizenship in our country, and this is especially true for people who support violent terrorist organizations such as Hamas,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider of the Eastern District.According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, Shalabi's case was investigated by the FBI’s Detroit Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section (OIL-DCS). The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.The case is being prosecuted by senior counsel for National Security Aaron Petty of OIL-DCS’s National Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit and assistant US attorney Peter Caplan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with support from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of the principal legal advisor.“We will use all available tools to enhance national security and counter the threat of terrorism,” said assistant attorney-general Jody Hunt. “The Department of Justice is deeply committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who defraud the American people and government by concealing their material support for terrorists.”The statement stressed that the complaint against Shalabi is an allegation, and has yet to be proven.
