A Jordanian man in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Indiana now faces federal charges stemming from his arrest in Mokena Aug. 1 with what police and prosecutors described as a backpack of Molotov cocktails and a map that marked a local mosque.
Hamed Alsaidi, 31, was charged Aug. 17 with eight counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device, according to the federal indictment last week. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a news release.
Alsaidi is being detained at Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, according to an ICE website. ICE previously said in a statement he would remain in custody pending the outcome of an immigration hearing.
He is scheduled for an arraignment and initial appearance before federal Judge Young B. Kim at 1 p.m. on Sept. 3 at the Dirksen Courthouse. A public information officer for the court said that Alsaidi was ordered to be physically brought to court.
ICE referred questions about Alsaidi’s case to the U.S. attorney’s office, which said that it would proceed with the criminal case but could not comment further.
Alsaidi also faces state charges in Will County of unlawful use of weapons, a felony, and obstructing an officer by providing a fake name. His state case was due in court Monday, but was continued to Oct. 5, as he did not appear due to his detention, according to court records.
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Attorney Raed Shalabi, who was listed as representing Alsaidi in his state case, said he assumed the state case would be dismissed now that federal charges had been filed. Shalabi said he would not represent Alsaidi in the federal case.
After his original arrest by the Mokena Police Department, Alsaidi was ordered released on conditions of electronic monitoring and home confinement by Will County Judge Theodore Jarz.
ICE had lodged a detainer with the Will County jail prior to Alsaidi’s release, but the Will County sheriff’s office said that the Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits state law enforcement from coordinating with ICE, prevented them from complying.
Two days later, ICE said, Alsaidi was detained during “targeted enforcement operations” in Oak Forest, where he most recently lived, according to the news release from federal prosecutors.
In addition to the eight Molotov cocktails, when Alsaidi was arrested, he also had a hand-drawn map with “you see the mosque” appearing to label the Orland Park Prayer Center, a mosque on 104th Avenue, according to Will County prosecutors.