DOJ Moves To Denaturalize Alleged Terrorists And War Criminals

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to denaturalize 12 individuals for offenses and allegations including providing material support to terrorism, war crimes and sexual abuse of a minor, the Daily Caller has learned.

The DOJ is expected to announce on Friday that it is filing denaturalizing actions against 12 individuals, originally from Iraq, Colombia, Morocco, Somalia, Gambia, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, Kenya, India, China and Nigeria. (RELATED: Trump Admin Moves To Revoke Citizenship Of Ex-Ambassador Convicted As Communist Spy)

Ali Yousif Ahmed, a native of Iraq, is one of the individuals the DOJ says they are taking action against. Ahmed came to the U.S. in 2009, claiming his family was attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq. Ten years later, Iraq asked the U.S. to extradite Ahmed to Iraq, claiming he was facing criminal charges for the premeditated murder of two Iraqi police officers in 2006.

“Upon further investigation, United States learned that, in 2015, Ahmed illegally procured his naturalization, which warrants his denaturalization, because he lied under oath about his criminal and family history when he sought admission to the United States and naturalized as a U.S. citizen,” a document on the denaturalization process and shared with the Caller read.

Khalid Ouazzani, a native of Morocco, applied for U.S. citizenship in 2005 and then again a year later, according to the DOJ. Ouazzani was allegedly “planning—with two men later convicted of trying to bomb the New York Stock exchange—ways to support AlQaida” in 2003. Then after being naturalized, Ouazzani pleaded guilty to sending al-Qaida tens of thousands of dollars with money he had fraudulently obtained Ouazzani also took a pledge of pledge of allegiance in 2008 to al-Qaida.

The DOJ is also looking to strip Baboucarr Mboob, a native of Gambia, of his naturalization, claiming he was involved in war crimes, the Caller learned. Mboob was a military police officer in the Gambian army and participated in the execution of six officers following the orders from his commanding officer who believed were victims in plotting a counter-coup against then President Yahya Jammeh, according to the DOJ.

Mboob concealed his involvement in the war crimes during the naturalization process, but later admitted to executing his fellow officers, the DOJ told the Caller.

In recent months, the DOJ has increased its denaturalization efforts. In April, senior officials told the department they would soon be assigning more cases to regional offices, sources told The New York Times.

“The Department of Justice is laser focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process,” Matthew Tragesser, a Justice Department spokesman, told the outlet at the time.