Ernst seeks briefing from federal law enforcers on al Qaeda misstep

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) wants to know how a wanted al Qaeda terrorist slipped through the fingers of the nation’s federal law enforcement officials and has requested a briefing from defense and security administrators for answers.

In a Feb. 13 letter sent to the U.S. State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Sen. Ernst and her colleague U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) requested a full briefing to better understand the circumstances surrounding Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, a suspected al Qaeda leader who’s wanted for murdering two Iraqi police officers. Ahmed Al-Nouri in 2008 was admitted as a refugee to the United States and was able to gain U.S. citizenship.

“Ahmed Al-Nouri was recently arrested after a federal magistrate judge issued an arrest warrant based on an extradition request from the government of Iraq on charges of killing two Iraqi police officers in 2006,” according to the senators’ letter, which noted that the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the arrest.

“To better understand the circumstances surrounding Ahmed Al-Nouri’s application for refugee status and the national security implications of allowing a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization into our country as a refugee, please provide a briefing on this case addressing [several] questions,” wrote Sens. Ernst and Grassley.

For instance, the senators want the State Department to explain the vetting process through which Ahmed Al-Nouri received a refugee visa.

They also want the FBI to detail when the terrorist came to the attention of the FBI and U.S. law enforcement and requested that USCIS provide his immigration history, including his refugee visa, adjustment of status to a lawful permanent resident, and naturalization as a U.S. citizen, among other questions.