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Palestinian on terror watchlist nabbed at U.S. southern border

Omar Nawaf Issa Shehada, 35, attempted to illegally cross into the U.S. from Mexico, has history of “explosives/arms” use.

By World Israel News Staff

A Palestinian man included on a terrorism watchlist was arrested by U.S. border patrol agents as he attempted to illegally cross into the country from Mexico.

According to an internal Border Patrol memo obtained by the New York Post, Omar Nawaf Isssa Shehada was captured in the desert near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, along with six other illegal migrants.

During the booking process after being arrested by agents, the 35-year-old’s name was found to be on a list of people suspected to have terror connections.

While the memo provided scant details regarding the exact threat potentially posed by Shehada, it did state that he was “watchlisted as a Cat-15 (“used explosives/arms.”)

Shehada is from a Palestinian Authority-controlled municipality in Judea and Samaria.

A search of Shehada’s travel history revealed that he had taken several international flights before trying to sneak into the U.S.

Shehada first flew from Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia. That flight included a stopover in Panama City, Panama. The memo did not reveal how Shehada reached Spain from Judea and Samaria.

From Bogota, Shehada then flew to San Salvador, El Salvador. It’s unclear how he reached the U.S. from there, though it’s likely he took an overland route northward through Guatemala and Mexico.

“Shehada is currently being held at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station pending removal proceedings,” the memo stated.

The document also noted that Shehada has no previous criminal or immigration records in the U.S.

Shortly after the October 7th terror onslaught, the Border Patrol issued a warning to agents that Palestinian terrorist could try to infiltrate the U.S. from Mexico.

“Individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of ​​hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwestern border,” read the alert, as reported by the Post.

“Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the U.S. to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico,” the dispatch added.