Case details of Hezbollah operatives previously arrested in the United States show the reach of the terrorist organization and reveal threats lurking within our own borders during heightened security threats surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. FBI Director Wray told the Senate Homeland Security Committee: “This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance.”
In 2017, two Hezbollah-linked individuals were arrested simultaneously in different parts of the United States. Ali Kourani of Bronx, New York and Samer El Debek of Dearborn, Michigan were charged for terrorist activities on behalf of the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), a component of Hezbollah, after obtaining U.S. citizenship.
The criminal complaints filed by the Department of Justice detail wide-ranging activities by Kourani and El Debek, including surveillance of potential targets for attacks in the United States and Central America and training by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
These were only two of the 128 Hezbollah-linked individuals operating in the United States from 1997 to 2020 which researchers affiliated with The George Washington University, West Point, and the Department of Homeland Security identified in a 2022 report.
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Approved ~ MJM
