AKIPRESS.COM - The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Tajikistan-born Russian national who is wanted overseas and suspected of links to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports.

A man was arrested in Philadelphia in the morning of May 23 by ICE and FBI.

The officials of Tajikistan earlier declared the man a fugitive, wanted for organization of a criminal community. However, his identity was not revealed, and in the photos his face is blurred so that it is impossible to recognize him.

According to ICE, the detainee was first encountered at San Ysidro Pedestrian West point of entry in California March 21, 2023, where he was charged as an inadmissible alien under the Immigration and Nationality Act because he didn’t have an immigrant visa. He was served a notice to appear before an immigration judge and paroled into the United States.

ERO Philadelphia acting Field Office Director Brian McShane said that "arresting individuals linked to terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda reaffirms our unwavering commitment to safeguard the homeland".

Earlier, 33-year-old Tajik citizen Mansouri Manouchehr was arrested in Brooklyn and charged with supporting ISIS-Khorasan, possessing weapons, and immigration fraud.

Manouchehr entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2016 and stayed after it expired. He tried to legalize his status through a fictitious marriage, worked as a truck driver, and traveled extensively around the country.

The investigation found that he transferred about $70,000 to ISIS-affiliated individuals in Turkey and Syria, including a Tajik citizen arrested for the 2024 Istanbul church attack. He was found to have extremist materials, including sermons by ISIS leaders and videos of weapons training.

The man faces up to 45 years in prison. The case is considered by the Eastern District Court of New York.