An illegal immigrant on the terror watchlist was arrested in North Carolina last week after engaging in a shooting incident at a local business and attacking police officers who responded to the scene.
According to WAVY TV 10, Awet Hagos, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Africa, has been charged with three counts of assaulting a government official, three counts of resisting a public officer, and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald reported that police responded to a Quick Stop convenience store, where Hagos was found shooting a firearm. The 32-year-old illegal immigrant reportedly attacked law enforcement officers despite sheriff’s deputies using tasers on the African national.
“Upon arrival, the deputies and a Trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to take the suspect into to custody,” Gates County Sheriff Ray Campbell said in a post on Facebook. “However, the suspect became extremely combative and at one point attempted to disarm a deputy of their firearm. The suspect then fled into a small camper located adjacent to the business.”
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Campbell explained that law enforcement officials were finally able to arrest Hagos after a “four hour long standoff.” Cambell noted that Hagos was transported to Albermarle District Jail, where he remains under a $100,000 bond. The sheriff added that an investigation is ongoing and that additional charges could be brought against the illegal immigrant.
According to The Daily Wire, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has notified the Gates County Sheriff’s Office that Hagos is on the Terrorist Screening Dataset, which is also referred to as the terror watchlist.
WAVY TV 10 reported that Hagos is believed to have previously lived in Haiti after moving from a place in Africa located near the border of Yemen. While in the United States, Hagos is believed to have lived in California before relocating to North Carolina for roughly six months prior to his arrest.
According to The Daily Wire, ICE officials have submitted a detainer request against Hagos, suggesting that ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division could be waiting to deport the 32-year-old illegal immigrant.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-N.C.) requested confirmation regarding reports of Hagos being on the terror watchlist. Robinson also pressed the Biden administration to provide clear information regarding the recent incident.
“Are there more illegal immigrants on the terrorist watchlist here in North Carolina?” Robinson asked. “We deserve answers to these questions.”
