DEARBORN — Federal authorities have revealed disturbing details in a major child exploitation case following the arrest of a 26-year-old Arab American man from Dearborn, who investigators say was linked to tens of thousands of suspected child sexual abuse files and found in possession of a large cache of illicit material.

The suspect, Audy Mugally Al-Saidi, 26, was arrested at his residence on Lapham Street in Dearborn and is facing federal charges of receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Detroit.

Investigation traced thousands of files to suspect

The case began in February as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s ongoing efforts to combat online child exploitation.

On February 18, an FBI agent using the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network identified a computer and IP address associated with approximately 35,002 files believed to contain child sexual abuse material.

Investigators also determined that as early as August 2025, the same computer had been used to share about 75 files depicting real children engaged in explicit sexual conduct.

According to federal authorities, the files were organized into folders with titles indicating exploitative content, including references to pre-teen children and incest. The material included videos depicting minors — including very young children — being sexually abused by adult men.

Further analysis revealed that a device linked to the same IP address had downloaded, uploaded or made such material available approximately 3,500 times between July 16, 2025 and March 11.

IP address leads agents to Dearborn home

Investigators traced the IP address to Internet service provided by WideOpenWest (WOW!), which ultimately led them to the residence on Lapham Street in Dearborn.

On April 2, federal agents executed a search warrant at the home, where Al-Saidi was located and taken into custody.

During questioning, he acknowledged that he was familiar with BitTorrent and stated that he used the platform to download movies.

Agents seized a mobile phone and a computer from the residence, and Al-Saidi provided passwords for both devices.

Forensic review reveals hundreds of files

A preliminary forensic examination conducted on April 3 uncovered hundreds of images and videos meeting the federal definition of child pornography.

Investigators also discovered additional deleted files on the computer, along with cached material that included depictions of infants, toddlers and young girls being sexually abused by adult men, according to federal authorities.

Bond and strict release conditions

Al-Saidi was initially detained and held at the Sanilac County Jail.

On April 9, he was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond under strict pretrial conditions, including:

• Home confinement with GPS electronic monitoring
• Surrender of passport and identification documents
• Prohibition on leaving southeastern Michigan
• Ban on possessing any weapons
• Mandatory medical or psychological treatment
• Restrictions on computer and Internet use, limited to employment purposes
• Removal of all Internet-capable devices from his home within 48 hours

He is also prohibited from possessing sexually explicit material and from having unsupervised contact with minors or being within 100 yards of locations where children are present.

Ongoing federal case

The case remains under federal prosecution as investigators continue to analyze seized digital evidence and determine the full scope of the alleged activity.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges.