WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2022) A 52-year old Iraqi citizen living in the United States was charged with plotting to murder former president George W. Bush and arrested by the FBI, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday in a press release.
Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab allegedly attempted to conspire with who he thought was another Iraqi citizen - but was actually an FBI creation - to illegally enter the US and carry out an attack on Bush for his involvement in Iraq, the press release said.
Shihab is alleged to have planned to smuggle four other Iraqi nationals over the US-Mexico border in order to carry out the assassination, according to the press release. Shihab allegedly claimed that one of the individuals who he planned on smuggling in was linked to the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia), Forbes said in a report, citing court documents.
Shihab claimed to be part of a unit called Al-Raed, which was led by a recently deceased former pilot for Saddam Hussein who was based in Qatar, the report also said.
Shihab also allegedly traveled to Dallas to scout out locations linked to the former president, as well as met with individuals in Ohio to look at sample firearms and uniforms, the press release added.
Charges related to the alleged plot to kill Bush carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and those related to alleged attempts to smuggle foreign nationals into the US carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison, the press release said.
