Alleged Al-Qaida Assassination Squad Leader Arrested in Arizona

The head of an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq assassination squad that killed at least two Iraqi policemen and possibly more in Fallujah has been arrested in Arizona and faces extradition to Iraq to stand trial.

Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 42, faces two murder charges in Iraq for the 2006 assassinations. He faces a detention and extradition hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Arizona.

Iraqi investigators complied witnesses statements immediately after the separate 2006 killings, ultimately finding that Nouri was living near Phoenix through Facebook searches, according to court documents.

Combined eyewitness accounts identified Nouri as the leader of a cell of al-Qaida in Iraq operating in Anbar Province, mostly in Fallujah, where he worked as a carpenter.

Members of the killing crew who were later arrested also told police that Nouri was the emir, or group leader. (Read more from “Alleged Al-Qaida Assassination Squad Leader Arrested in Arizona” HERE)

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