U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested a suspected Saudi terrorist in Colorado on May 6 after he was released from the Arapahoe County Jail, despite having an active immigration removal order. The arrest has sparked renewed concerns over sanctuary policies that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
The suspect, 58-year-old Homaidan Ali Ilbrahim Al-Turki, has a long criminal and immigration history, including prior ties to terrorism investigations and serious felony convictions. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents in Denver took Al-Turki into custody shortly after his release from the jail in Centennial, Colorado—a sanctuary jurisdiction that has refused to honor ICE detainers.
According to ICE, Al-Turki first entered the United States illegally in 1993. He left the country that same year but re-entered unlawfully again in 1994. In 2001, law enforcement authorities questioned Al-Turki in connection to the September 11 terrorist attacks. While he later left the U.S. in 2001 under unknown circumstances, he returned in 2002 through a lawful entry.
Al-Turki’s most serious offenses came in 2006 when he was convicted in Arapahoe County on multiple charges, including 12 counts of sexual assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and theft of over $15,000. These convictions earned him a lengthy prison sentence and eventually led to a 2013 administrative order for his removal from the country.
Despite this record, Arapahoe County jail officials released Al-Turki without notifying ICE, citing sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. ICE condemned the decision and reaffirmed its commitment to removing criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety.
Al-Turki is currently in ICE custody and is expected to be deported under the standing 2013 removal order.
