Iraqi Refugee Accused of Murder Seeks Release from Prison Over Coronavirus

An Iraqi refugee, linked to al-Qaeda and accused of murder, is now seeking release from an Arizona prison claiming he is vulnerable to contracting the Chinese coronavirus.

Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, a 42-year-old Iraqi national, first entered the United States as a refugee in 2009 — three years after Iraqi government officials say Al-Nouri participated in the murders of two police officers in Fallujah, Iraq.

After being resettled in the U.S. as a refugee, Al-Nouri was approved in 2015 by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to become a naturalized American citizen.

In May 2019, an Iraqi judge issued a warrant for Al-Nouri’s arrest, alleging that he had led an al-Qaeda terrorist group that was responsible for the murder of the two Fallujah police officers. Court records allege that Al-Nouri led the al-Qaeda group in the premeditated murders in 2006.

Al-Nouri had been running a driving school in Phoenix, Arizona.

U.S. officials arrested Al-Nouri in February and locked him up in a Florence, Arizona prison, holding him for extradition to Iraq. Now, Al-Nouri is seeking release from prison, claiming he is vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus.

Al-Nouri’s attorney, according to the Associated Press, says her client has heart and lung issues which make him particularly vulnerable to contracting coronavirus. Prosecutors have refuted the claims, noting that Al-Nouri is in a cell by himself and, if released, would flee the U.S. to avoid extradition.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Morrissey is expected to soon rule on whether Al-Nouri will be released from prison.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.