By Sarah Roderick Fitch
(The Center Square) – The cases against two men from Jordan accused of illegally attempting to enter Quantico Marine base have been dismissed.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed motions to dismiss charges filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Oct. 3. A federal judge ordered that the matter be dismissed “without prejudice.”
In earlier court appearances, the Jordanians identified as Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous were released after being charged with misdemeanors stemming from a May 3 incident for attempting to “trespass” on the headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps, home of the FBI Training Academy and the military’s top criminal investigative agencies.
The case garnered national attention, including pleas from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who demanded answers from President Joe Biden’s administration. The duo’s identities were finally disclosed at the end of July following exhausted efforts made by congressional leaders in addition to Youngkin.
Prior to the recent dismissal, the Department of Justice accused the pair of “unlawfully go[ing] upon a military installation for a purpose prohibited by law, to wit: knowingly and intentionally entering Marine Corps Base Quantico,” according to court documents.
During their July court appearance, Hamdan and Dabous were granted release upon condition to appear for “all future court appearances,” including immigration appearances they have “pending.” They were ordered “not further trespass on Marine Corps Base Quantico or any other military installation.”
Potomac Local News first reported the May incident. The pair claimed to be Amazon subcontractors while attempting to enter the base; the truck driver reportedly ignored commands by security officials to wait while officers tried to identify the men, who did not have identification. The driver then “hit the gas” and hit a barricade deployed to stop the truck, according to sources.
The breach has been the focus of multiple congressional investigations into similar incidents reported at various U.S. military installations, demanding answers from the federal government.
Sanctuary jurisdictions typically have regulations that limit cooperation with ICE, impacting the enforcement of immigration laws. These measures may include refusing ICE detainers, restricting agency interactions with ICE, or hindering the sharing of information about incarcerated aliens.
ICE uses detainers as a key mechanism to detain aliens involved in criminal activities, ensuring their custody transfer for deportation. These detainers provide details about the individual’s criminal and immigration history, highlighting their public safety or security risk.
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Virginia State Senator Tara Durant (R) revealed reports of two additional intrusions at Quantico Marine Corps Base following the arrests of two men from Jordan who were in the U.S. illegally. Potomac Local News broke the story and told you the men were arrested after allegedly posing as Amazon delivery drivers and ramming the front gate of the military installation on May 3, 2023.
Durant said the additional incursions occurred on May 3, the same day two Jordanian nationals in the U.S. illegally posed as Amazon delivery men. “I heard about it from somebody I know who works at Quantico, and he first alerted me to the first breach,” said Durant. “He has since alerted me that there have been two more breaches that occurred on the same day. I don’t think that’s come out yet.”
The two men from Jordan, Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous, attended their first hearing on July 22 at the Alexandria courthouse. Both men, accompanied by an Arabic translator, were charged with Class B misdemeanors for allegedly trespassing on a military facility, charges which carry up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The judge supported conditions for release, and both men have been released, with their next hearings scheduled for September.
On May 22, Governor Glenn Youngkin penned a letter to President Joseph Biden requesting a full briefing about the incident. This request came 20 days after the breach and 12 days after Potomac Local broke the news of the attack. The governor has provided no new information following this request.
Durant mentioned her efforts to obtain more information about these breaches. “I connected him [Attorney General Jason Miyares], who was just so frustrated because there are a lot more attempts at breaches that are happening, and I don’t think that it’s out in the public sphere, and it should be.”
Potomac Local broke the story of the initial intrusion at Quantico, which followed days of pressing officials for information. Sources tell us one of the men is on the FBI terror watch list, something federal officials have not confirmed or denied. When asked about the terror watch list angle, Durant stated, “I’m hearing the same information, but I think we need to find out a lot more about these other attempted breaches. Are they testing to see where the weak points are and setting the stage for something that’s more nefarious?”
Quantico officials have not responded to a request to comment on this story.
Durant expressed support for Governor Youngkin’s request for answers: “I am grateful for it, and I encourage it. We need to get answers for it. I can’t confirm that I know any more about that type of information, but I certainly intend to keep pushing to find out more.”
Almost three months after two men in a box truck attempted to illegally access Marine Corps Base Quantico, the names of the two suspects have been obtained.
Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous attended their first hearing July 22 at the Alexandria courthouse. Both men, accompanied by an Arabic translator, were charged with Class B misdemeanors for allegedly trespassing on a military facility on May 3, charges which carry up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The judge supported conditions for release, and both men have been released with their next hearings in September. They both requested a court-appointed attorney.
“The Department of Justice, Department of Defense, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI all circled wagons to guard even the identities of the two Jordanians against five written congressional inquiries, a sixth by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin seeking government briefings about the incident, and most recently a subpoena by the Republican-led House Homeland Security Committee of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,” reports Todd Bensman with Center for Immigration Studies. Read more here.
It has been over two months since two Jordanian nationals attempted to breach the gates of Marine Corps Base Quantico, and officials still have not released the identity of the two men arrested. They also offered no explanation as to why state and local officials were not notified.
While we were able to obtain a copy of the police report documenting the incident, the report has been heavily redacted. All identifying information about the two men has been concealed, in addition to the license plate and VIN for the truck involved.Â
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Republican lawmakers have lodged five deadline information requests to President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security for information that would enlighten the American public about a Jordanian border-crosser May 3 truck-ramming attack on the Quantico Marine Corps Base in northern Virginia along with a co-conspirator here on a student visa, reports Todd Bensman at the Center for Immigration Studies.
By Bethany Blankley
(The Center Square) – A group of 21 Republican U.S. senators, led by Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, is demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about federal agents releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. who weren’t properly vetted and were later discovered to have alleged terrorist connections.
They sent a letter to Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray after the U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman and a retired CIA director raised warnings about potential terrorist attacks happening on U.S. soil before the end of the year, The Center Square reported.
“President Biden is derelict in his duty to protect and defend our country,” Budd said. “These incidents highlight the extreme national security risks posed by the open southern border. We need to expose what happened here, and make sure it never happens again. We need to secure the border and stop the chaos.”
The senators express alarm after eight Tajikistan nationals with alleged terrorist ties to ISIS illegally entered the U.S. and were released by Border Patrol agents or used the CBP One app through the president’s and Mayorkas’ “lawful pathways” program to enter the U.S. instead of being vetted, arrested on the spot and prevented entry.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that a wiretap shows that one of the now-arrested individuals was talking about bombs and that the target of the wiretap was previously released by federal authorities at the southern border with a court date of next year,” they said. They are referring to Border Patrol agents releasing inadmissible illegal foreign nationals into the country by giving them “notice to appear” documents to appear before an immigration judge several years into the future, The Center Square has reported.
Because the alleged terrorists weren’t properly vetted, as is a consistent problem identified by the Office of Inspector General, it was only after they were released that the FBI expressed alarm and they were found and arrested, CBS News reported. The OIG has also found that CBP agents were releasing known and suspected terrorists into the country because of “ineffective practices and processes.”
Their arrests were made after Wray in April testified before Congress that Islamic terrorist and other national security threats were coming through the border. He referred to an “increasingly concerning … potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia concert hall,” referring to ISIS-Khorasan, ISIS’s Afghan affiliate. In March, he also testified that ISIS-connected smuggling organizations were coming through the border and the FBI was investigating.
The senators point to “multiple recent releases of aliens on the terrorist watchlist into the United States,” including from Afghanistan, Jordan, Somalia, Uzbekistan and others.
They cite an example of an Afghan national and suspected member of the terrorist group Hezb-e-Islami (HIG) who illegally entered the U.S. in California and was arrested on March 10, 2023. Instead of being processed for removal, he was enrolled in an Alternatives to Detention monitoring program for two weeks and then “allowed to roam free in the U.S. for ten months, unmonitored, until ICE agents arrested him again due to potential terrorist ties,” the senators said.
Another example is of a Somali national on the FBI Terrorist Watchlist as “a confirmed member” of the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, who illegally entered the U.S. in California in March 2023. Instead of being processed for removal, he was released into the country. Nearly one year later, he was arrested in Minnesota for his alleged involvement in the use, manufacture or transportation of explosives or firearms, they said.
Another is an Uzbekistan national with alleged ties to ISIS who illegally entered the U.S. in Arizona in February 2022. He was arrested by Border Patrol agents and instead of being processed for removal, he also was released into the U.S. In May 2023, the Uzbekistan government issued an international notice that he was wanted for his ties to ISIS, “which U.S. officials failed to discover until March of this year,” the senators note.
They also point to two Jordanians “posing as Amazon subcontractors attempted to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico” last month as examples of DHS failures. One had overstayed his student visa by roughly 18 months; the other illegally entered the U.S. in California in April. Instead of being detained and processed for removal, he was released on his own recognizance to appear before an immigration judge. One of the men was on the Terrorist Watch List.
These are in addition to the greatest number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) illegally entering the U.S. in the last nearly three fiscal years, according to CBP data. In fiscal 2024 through June 20, 316 KSTs have been apprehended, with the majority, 199, at the northern border, according to CBP data.
The greatest number of KSTs to ever be apprehended in U.S. history was in fiscal 2023 of 736; with the majority, 487, apprehended at the northern border, including an Iranian with terrorist ties, The Center Square first reported.
The senators asked DHS to respond to questions about the names and identities of arrested KSTs, where they illegally entered the U.S., if they claimed asylum, what the vetting process was, if they were connected to ISIS or other terrorist organizations, among other questions.
DHS was given a deadline of Tuesday to provide the requested information.
Senator Rand Paul (R), a prominent figure in conservative politics, traveled from his home state of Kentucky to endorse Cameron Hamilton, a Republican, for his party's nomination to replace outgoing Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D).
Hamilton picked up a full-throated endorsement from the Senator who has spent years questioning the motives of retired Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the center of the government-mandated lockdowns and forced coronavirus vaccinations during the pandemic. Paul, accompanied by his wife, Kelly, drew a fervent crowd of conservatives to Gourmeltz 90s Music Bar and Drafthouse in Spotsylvania County. The atmosphere was enthusiastic, reflecting the unity and excitement among conservative voters.
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By Bethany Blankley
(The Center Square) – Multiple members of Congress are demanding answers about the federal government’s ability to prevent a terrorist attack after two Jordanian nationals attempted to break into Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
This is after concerns were raised about a Chinese national who recently breached a Marine Corps base in the El Centro CBP Sector after illegally entering the country, and after individuals identified as known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) are continuing to be apprehended at record numbers after illegally entering the country, The Center Square reported.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, led a group of 12 Republican members of Congress demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation about the Quantico breach, questioning if it constituted a terrorist attack. The letter was announced Tuesday and is dated May 23.
“A brazen attempt to infiltrate a military installation by foreign nationals from a terror-prone region rightly raises concerns as to whether this constituted a possible terrorist attack,” the House coalition said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Yet, the federal government has not disclosed whether this breach was terror-related.”
On May 3, two Jordanian male nationals attempted to breach a Marine Corps base using a box truck. They were eventually detained and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was later revealed that one illegally crossed the border last month and was released into the interior by Border Patrol agents. The other overstayed his student visa and was in the country illegally. One was identified as a KST.
“The American people deserve to know the scope of the threat posed by potential terror suspects and the extent to which the open border policies of this administration are facilitating it,” the coalition said.
Joining Roy are Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, and Randy Weber of Texas.
Last week, a coalition of 12 U.S. senators demanded answers, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., of Mayorkas and Wray.
“This deeply concerning incident occurred mere weeks after a Chinese national who was in the country illegally broke into Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms on March 27,” they said.
House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., and three other Republican committee chairmen also demanded answers from Mayorkas, Wray and Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The committee is investigating the incident, they said, and is concerned about previous requests that remain unanswered.
In September 2023, Green and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, sent a letter to Mayorkas, Wray, and Austin requesting information about how the agencies were responding to possible breaches of U.S. military installations and critical infrastructure from the Chinese Communist Party. According to Wall Street Journal report, Chinese nationals attempted to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive sites roughly 100 times in recent years.
DHS and the FBI “failed to provide any substantive response” to their request, they said.
In a November 2023 hearing, Mayorkas “repeatedly refused to answer when asked by Chairman Pfluger whether DHS continuously detains those found to be on the terrorist watchlist,” they said.
The greatest number of KSTs have been apprehended by CBP and Border Patrol agents under the Biden administration, The Center Square has reported. This fiscal year, they total 277, after the greatest number in U.S. history was apprehended in fiscal 2023 of 736, The Center Square reported.
“The alarming conclusion from these numbers is every day we have individuals that are on the FBI terrorist watch list that could have an intention to harm our country and are entering every single day,” former Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan told The Center Square. “It’s not if or when the threat tries to come to our country. We already know that’s happening already. The threat is already here,” he said, referring to the at least two million foreign nationals who illegally entered the country and evaded capture, some of whom may be KSTs.
The attempted breach at MCB Quantico “reflects a possibly more dire reality for the state of U.S. national security,” Green’s coalition said.
DHS’s “relaxed vetting standards” have created “an environment ripe for exploitation by individuals aiming to undermine the United States at its most critical points. If individuals on the terrorist watchlist are so emboldened to attempt to breach a Marine Corps base, the Department of Homeland Security and the entire executive branch must act swiftly to identify, apprehend, and detain such hostile actors on American soil.”
