WASHINGTON – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sought information Tuesday from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about two individuals accused in terror attacks in Minnesota, New York and New Jersey over the weekend. Dahir Aden reportedly stabbed 10 people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minn., on Saturday, while Ahmad Khan Rahami is accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey last weekend.
“It is important for Congress to learn more about these individuals in order to understand and evaluate the department’s efforts to counter homegrown radical extremism,” Chairman Johnson wrote in the letter to Secretary Johnson. “Accordingly, I respectfully request the following information and material:
- Please provide the Alien Files (A-File) for Mr. Aden and Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any foreign travel conducted by Mr. Aden and Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any visa application for Mr. Aden or Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any citizenship application or proceedings for Mr. Aden or Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any immigration, travel, or visa application concerning Mr. Rahami’s wife, Asia Bibi Rahami.”
The letter is available here and below:
September 20, 2016
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary
U. S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Johnson:
I write to request information on two terror suspects who allegedly carried out attacks at multiple locations over this past weekend. On September 17, 2016, Dahir Aden reportedly stabbed ten people at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, before he was shot to death by an off-duty police officer. Mr. Aden was reportedly born in Kenya but was of Somali descent and had grown up in the United States. According to the ISIS propaganda outlet, Mr. Aden was a “soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to the citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition.”
In a separate, reportedly unrelated, string of events, Ahmad Khan Rahami allegedly placed improvised explosive devices (IED) at three locations. Mr. Rahami allegedly placed, over this past weekend, IEDs along a charity race in Seaside Park, New Jersey, in two locations in New York City, as well as at a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Law enforcement officials apprehended Mr. Rahami after a shootout in Linden, New Jersey. According to news reports, Mr. Rahami is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan. In addition, Mr. Rahami is reportedly married to a Pakistani national and he made efforts to bring her to the United States beginning in 2011.
It is important for Congress to learn more about these individuals in order to understand and evaluate the Department’s efforts to counter homegrown radical extremism. Accordingly, I respectfully request the following information and material:
- Please provide the Alien Files (A-File) for Mr. Aden and Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any foreign travel conducted by Mr. Aden and Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any visa application for Mr. Aden or Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any citizenship application or proceedings for Mr. Aden or Mr. Rahami.
- Please provide all documents referring or relating to any immigration, travel, or visa application concerning Mr. Rahami’s wife, Asia Bibi Rahami.
Please produce this material as soon as possible, but by no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 26, 2016. Any classified information provided in response to this letter should be provided under separate cover through the Office of Senate Security. In addition, I request that appropriate DHS staff brief the Committee staff on these matters. Please arrange for this briefing to occur no later than September 23, 2016.
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized by Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate to investigate “the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the Government.” Additionally, S. Res. 73 (114th Congress) authorizes the Committee to examine “the efficiency and economy of operations of all branches and functions of the Government with particular reference to (i) the effectiveness of present national security methods, staffing and processes….” For purposes of this request, please refer to the definitions and instructions in the enclosure.
If you have any questions about this request, please ask your staff to contact Kyle Brosnan or Brian Downey of the Committee staff at (202) 224-4751. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
Chairman