Illegal Jordanian migrants who ‘tried to breach’ Quantico base allowed to walk free after posting bail
Exclusively revealed by The Post, two illegal Jordanian immigrants who were charged in May with trying to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico posted bail of thousands of dollars and were allowed to be released from federal custody.
Hasan Yousef Hamdan and Mohammad Khair Dabous were released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement despite their immigration status. Hamdan entered the country illegally on April, and Dabous overstayed his visa and was subject to removal procedures, according to law enforcement sources.
The men were arrested for trespassing on the military base and turned over to ICE agents because of their immigration status.
The men’s alleged attempt to enter the base is still a mystery.
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On the site, you’ll find the FBI Academy and FBI Laboratory as well as the Defense Intelligence Agency and several US Marine Corps commands – including the unit which flies Marine One, the presidential helicopter.
A federal law enforcement source said to The Post that “big-time intelligence failure and security failure” had occurred.
Why aren’t government officials disclosing the details if it wasn’t a terrorist act? What was the intention?”
According to federal law enforcement, both men posted bonds in their ICE case — Hamdan’s was set at $15,000. Dabous’ bond was set at $10,000. They were then released in early June.
Hamdan and Dabous, who were both charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass on military property, appeared in front of a judge for a first time on 22 July. They were then ordered to be released under the condition that they appear at court for their immigration hearings and stay away Quantico and other military bases.
According to court documents, federal prosecutors supported the release of these prisoners on condition that they met certain conditions.
Hamdan was deported in April due to lack of space in the federal prison, according to sources in federal law enforcement.
Sources said Dabous had overstayed his student visa and was illegally in the US.
Court documents show that they were given citations and instructed to appear at the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on July 22.
Magistrate Judge William B. Porter approved their release, on condition that they continue to attend future court dates for their criminal and immigration case.
Court papers state that they must not trespass on any government property including the Quantico facility.
Capt. Michael Curtis, a spokesman for the base, previously told The Post that two Jordanians lied to Quantico guards and said they worked as Amazon subcontractors and were at Quantico to make a deliver. Michael Curtis was a spokesperson for the base and told The Post in an earlier article.
They quickly concluded that they had no right to be there.
The men in the box truck ignored military guards’ instructions and attempted to drive into the base, but were stopped by anti vehicle barriers.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam was alerted to the incident. Glenn Youngkin requested a briefing from the Biden Administration on the incident, criticizing “the federal government’s failure to disclose the status of those concerned.”
Youngkin stated at the time that the Biden administration’s failure in securing the border had brought the crisis right up to the gates of our military bases.
Matt Strickland (40), who first reported the incident to Potomac Local News a local news site, told The Post that it took top brass two weeks to alert the rank-and-file staff of the attempted hack.
Strickland stated that after he [raised an alarm], people at Quantico sent me messages saying “Holy f—k, when was this happened ?,'”.”
Two weeks after the incident, Quantico sent an email to all employees at the base informing them of what had happened.
Curtis stated that the attempt to enter “was immediately reported to the required military officials.”
He said: “In the event of an immediate threat to Marine Corps Base Quantico or its residents, mass notification is always used.”
Requests for comment on Wednesday from the criminal defense attorneys of Hamdan and dabous were not immediately returned.
Hearings are scheduled for September with the two accused.