DOJ moves to revoke citizenship of Lee’s Summit man who pledged oath to al-Qaida
A Lee’s Summit man who previously pleaded guilty to providing financial support to al-Qaida is at risk of losing his United States citizenship status.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint to revoke the naturalization of 48-year-old Morocco native Khalid Ouazzani on Friday, according to a news release.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s citizenship resource center, naturalization is “the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a lawful permanent resident after meeting the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).”
In May 2010, Ouazzani pleaded guilty to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to support a terrorist group, according to a 2013 article from the Kansas City Star. The DOJ’s complaint said Ouazzani admitted to swearing an oath to Al-Qaida in June 2008.
He was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on Oct. 7, 2013, followed by five years of supervised release, the complaint said.
Ouazzani, who became a U.S. citizen in June 2006, admitted he borrowed money under the pretense that it would be used for an auto parts business, according to previous reporting from The Star.
Instead, he wired the money to a bank in Dubai, where it was used to buy an apartment. The apartment sold for $17,000 and was later given to al-Qaida. Ouazzani also admitted to sending the group $6,500 from the sale of his business.
In a federal sentencing document, the court ordered Ouazzani to pay $484,914.41 in restitution.
Additionally, the DOJ said that as early as 2003, Ouazzani had ties to two men who were later convicted of attempting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange.
The United States filed the complaint against Ouazzani on the basis that the man’s actions and alignment with al-Qaida indicate he gave false testimony during his citizenship interview, showing a lack of “good moral character, and that the man withheld “a material fact or willful misrepresentation.”
The complaint filed against Ouazzani was announced with 11 others filed in jurisdictions across the country Friday, the news release said.
No further court dates are set in Ouazzani’s case.
