No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica Detains Alleged Al Qaeda Linked Terrorist Wanted by FBI

Costa Rica Detains Alleged Al Qaeda Linked Terrorist Wanted by FBI

Authorities here announced the capture of an alleged member of the Al-Nusrah terrorist group on Wednesday as he walked the streets of the capital.

The detained man is Mohamed Abdelaal Mohamed Shaker, an Egyptian national wanted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for “providing logistics for that group in Syria,” according to officials.

Shaker had been under surveillance by the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS) after Costa Rica received an international alert about him. DIS coordinated with the Professional Migration Police and San José Municipal Police to apprehend Shaker downtown.

Authorities said the FBI notified them around eight weeks ago that Shaker may try to enter from Panama. It’s believed he crossed the southern border irregularly through a “blind spot.”

Al-Nusrah is a Syrian offshoot of Al Qaeda that emerged in late 2011 and has been linked to numerous violent attacks. Classified as a terrorist organization, it seeks to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Costa Rican officials periodically detain suspected members of global terror groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS. Back in 2019, two Iraqi nationals were arrested in San José accused of having ties to the Islamic State.

With this latest capture, authorities have shown continued vigilance against terrorist suspects potentially using Costa Rica’s open society and porous borders to hide out. Officials say international intelligence sharing was key to identifying the threat.

It’s unclear whether the detainee will be extradited to the U.S. or Syria. But Costa Rica vows to keep cooperating closely with allies to combat extremism and prevent the nation from becoming a terrorist safe haven.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Video Footage Reveals Strange Deer-Bird Interaction

The best part about camera trapping is the moment you pull the SD card out of the camera and stick it in the laptop...

Guatemala and U.S. Strengthen Cooperation on Migration and Transnational Crime

Migration and drug trafficking dominated a meeting on Friday between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, according to...

Costa Rica’s 2025 Flamingo Fishing Rodeo Highlights Sport and Conservation

With great fishing and a renewed focus on family fun, the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo presented by Marina Flamingo is set to take center stage in the world...

Costa Rica Law Now Requires Corporations to Register an Email for Legal Notices

Costa Rica has recently approved a very important law which establishes a new obligation for commercial corporations, and that obligation is that they must...

From Bookie to “Pura Vida”: A True Costa Rica Expat Story

I recently wrote about my fear that three decades after learning Spanish, I was now slowly losing my fluency, forgetting words I had once...

Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Welcomes First Starbucks in Liberia

Starbucks has opened its first store in Guanacaste at Solarium Business Park in Liberia, marking a significant step in its expansion across Costa Rica....
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica