A suspect was found to be on a terror watch list after being arrested by North Carolina’s sheriffs following an alleged armed standoff with officers on March 11, WAVY reported.
The suspect, Awet Hagos, is from an African country near Yemen and previously lived in Haiti, according to WAVY. Hagos had been in the area for around six months prior to the arrest, the outlet noted. (RELATED: ‘We Have Lost Track’: Taliban Handing Out ‘Visas And Passports’ To Terrorists Who Can End Up At Border, GOP Rep Says)
Hagos was apprehended by law enforcement following a report that a person was “outside of a business discharging a firearm,” according to a Facebook post by Gates County Sheriff’s Office. “Upon arrival, Deputies and a Trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to take the suspect into to custody; however, the suspect became extremely combative and at one point attempted to disarm a deputy of their firearm. The suspect then fled into their residence. After approximately a four hour long standoff, Awet Hagos was safely taken into custody. Hagos was charged with (x3) Assault on a Government Official, (x3) Resisting a Public Officer, and carrying a concealed weapon,” the post read. Hagos was placed in jail on a $100,000 bond, the local sheriff’s office noted in the post.
Sheriff Ray Campbell claimed that his deputies had to tase Hagos repeatedly in the encounter after Hagos allegedly became aggressive, WAVY reported. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) got in contact with Campbell’s office after they ran the suspect’s fingerprints and informed them that Hagos was on the terrorist watch list, the outlet noted.
“Are there more illegal immigrants on the terrorist watchlist here in North Carolina?” Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson asked Monday in response to the alleged incident, WRAL reported.
“This is unacceptable. The people of North Carolina deserve answers,” Robinson tweeted in response to a clip of The White House being questioned about the matter.
This is unacceptable. The people of North Carolina deserve answers. Here’s the letter I sent to President Biden: https://t.co/CkWjKu339a #ncpol #ncgov https://t.co/FaAfiYgLcq
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) March 18, 2024
Robinson mentioned in the aforementioned tweet that he sent President Joe Biden a letter requesting the administration answer certain questions about the matter. Robinson is the current Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina.