This Somali war criminal has been guarding Dulles Airport for the last 20 years

Blake Stilwell
Apr 2, 2018 9:41 AM PDT
1 minute read
This Somali war criminal has been guarding Dulles Airport for the last 20 years

SUMMARY

As if you needed another reason to avoid what is widely considered the DC-area’s worst option in terms of airports, a CNN investigation revealed that o…

As if you needed another reason to avoid what is widely considered the DC-area's worst option in terms of airports, a CNN investigation revealed that one of Dulles International Airport's security guards is a Somali man wanted for war crimes.


Yusuf Abdi Ali has lived in the area of Alexandria, Virginia for the past 20 years. He has been employed by the airport, one of an estimated 1,000 war criminals living and working in the United States.

CNN video still of Ali on duty at Dulles

Everyone employed by Master Security, Dulles' security contractor, undergoes "the full, federally mandated vetting process in order to be approved for an airport badge," the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told ABC News. The process includes a background check by the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration. Master Security employees working at Dulles must also be licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the state in which Dulles is located.

"We have verified that all of these processes were followed and approved in this instance," MWAA said in a statement.

Ali is the subject of a lawsuit from The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) on behalf of his alleged victims. He is accused of torturing people, burning villages, and conducting mass executions during The Somali Civil War from 1986 - 1991. Ali denies all accusations listed in the CJA lawsuit.

Yusuf Abdi Ali in a Canadian Broadcasting Company documentary about his a

Ali was a military commander under the regime of Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. He fled Somalia after the fall of the regime, eventually ending up in the United States in 1996.

The suit was dismissed by a circuit court which found the case lacked jurisdictional authority. A higher ruling allowed the suit to proceed and it is now waiting for review by the Supreme Court to determine if foreigners living in the U.S. can be held accountable for crimes committed abroad.

Ali in uniform under the Barre regime.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials estimate at least 360 arrests of human rights violators in the U.S. in the past 12 years. ICE has also deported more than 780 such cases. According to CNN, they currently have 125 active investigations. Ali's airport credentials have been revoked and he is on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation.

 

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