WASHINGTON (TNND) — U.S. authorities arrested an illegal immigrant with alleged ties “to Somali piracy” and an outstanding warrant on fraud-related charges after he was found near the U.S.-Canada border, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced.
The agency identified him as Said Jama Ahmed.
DHS said Ahmed was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after being spotted walking near the border. He is currently being held on a charge of illegal entry.
Ahmed has a long record of United States military and law enforcement encounters, according to the statement.
DHS said Ahmed faces an arrest warrant related to alleged passport fraud and that his fingerprints match those collected in a 2012 U.S. Navy operation involving suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. During that incident, a Navy boarding team encountered Ahmed and “nine other armed pirates who had taken the Indian ship hostage by force.”
According to DHS, Ahmed first entered the U.S. in 2022 near San Luis, Arizona. He was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2024 during a separate investigation involving fraudulent documents.
Bis said Canadian authorities also played a role in the recent arrest, as an off-duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer reported seeing the suspect near the border on April 14 a few hours before CBP agents tracked him down and took him into custody.
