High-speed pursuit leads to Ferndale crash, suspect faces multiple charges
May 1st, 20260 FERNDALE — An Arab American man from Garden City is facing a potential prison sentence of more than five years after allegedly fleeing police during a high-speed chase that ended when his vehicle crashed into a Verizon store in Ferndale on the evening of Friday, April 24. Emad Rehman, 26, is charged with third-degree fleeing and...
Jury convicts Michael Lopez in fatal shooting of Melvindale officer Mohamed Said
May 1st, 20260 DETROIT — On Tuesday, a jury in Wayne County Circuit Court convicted Michael Lopez in the fatal shooting of Mohamed Said, a corporal with the Melvindale Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty on July 21, 2024. The jury found Lopez, 45, guilty on all 12 counts related to the killing of Said, who was 26-years-old when he...
Dearborn man linked to 35,000 child abuse files faces federal charges
April 17th, 20260 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,...
Yemeni immigrant hailed as hero after saving teen from armed kidnapper
April 17th, 20260 HAMTRAMCK — A Yemeni immigrant working at a gas station in Detroit on April 13 is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a 16-year-old Arab American girl who had been kidnapped at gunpoint earlier that morning in a terrifying incident that has shaken the community. The suspect, Donald James Joseph Arthur Fields, 48, was taken into...
Hamtramck bus stop abduction shocks community; swift police response leads to arrest
April 16th, 20260 HAMTRAMCK — A brazen early morning abduction of a 16-year-old student waiting for her school bus has sent shockwaves through Hamtramck and drawn widespread attention across local and national media, as authorities moved quickly to arrest a suspect now facing multiple felony charges, including kidnapping and first-degree criminal sexual...
Rising Islamophobia: Two men arrested for threatening mosques in Ohio and Pennsylvania
March 27th, 20260 CLEVELAND/PITTSBURGH — In a troubling sign of rising anti-Muslim hatred in the United States, federal authorities have arrested two American men accused of threatening separate mosques in Ohio and Pennsylvania, drawing praise from civil rights advocates for swift action that may have prevented potential attacks during the final days of...
Hamtramck Councilman Muhtasin Sadman pleads guilty to reduced charge in election fraud case
March 6th, 20260 Hamtramck City Council member Muhtasin Sadman has resolved a criminal case tied to allegations of election fraud in the 2023 Hamtramck municipal elections, after pleading guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Sadman entered the plea before Hamtramck District Court late last month, admitting...
Macomb County woman faces felony sextortion charges in Oakland County case
February 27th, 20260 ROYAL OAK — A 26-year-old Arab American woman from Macomb County is facing felony charges related to an alleged online sextortion scheme in which she is accused of luring men through adult websites and later threatening and extorting them for thousands of dollars. According to local authorities, Marina Elissa Bazzi was arrested at...
Shelby Township man sentenced to three years for $3 million PPP fraud scheme
February 20th, 20260 DETROIT — In one of the latest rulings tied to COVID-19 relief fraud, a federal court in Detroit sentenced a Macomb County man to three years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme involving the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The defendant, Samer Kammo, 46, of Shelby Township, was also ordered to pay nearly...
Dearborn reports second consecutive year of crime decline, officials credit investment and technology
February 13th, 20260 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, for the second consecutive year, Dearborn officials celebrated a citywide decline in crime, attributing the continued downward trend to strategic investments, strengthened community partnerships, expanded patrol presence and increased funding for the Police Department under the administration of Mayor Abdullah...
Detroit judge, three others charged in $300K guardianship fraud scheme
February 6th, 20260 DETROIT — A sitting Detroit judge and three other individuals are facing federal criminal charges in connection with the alleged embezzlement of nearly $300,000 from people under legal guardianship, through a fraudulent scheme that operated for several years before she became a judge. According to federal court filings, Andrea...
Dearborn man sentenced to 25–40 years for years-long child sexual abuse in Macomb County
January 27th, 20260 A Dearborn man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child in Macomb County over several years has been sentenced to decades in prison. Elie Otayek, 43, was sentenced Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, to 25 to 40 years behind bars following his November 2025 conviction on three felony counts of criminal sexual conduct, two counts in the...
Syrian American pleads guilty to Social Security fraud after collecting benefits for mother living in Syria
January 23rd, 20260 DETROIT — A Syrian American man formerly of Dearborn has admitted to stealing nearly $190,000 in federal funds by continuing to collect Social Security benefits on behalf of his mother, despite the fact that she has been living in Syria for years, according to federal prosecutors. The defendant, Samer Succar, appeared earlier this...
Inside Trump’s plans to protect killer ICE agents “no matter what”
January 9th, 20260 Minnesota officials want to investigate ICE’s killing of a mother in Minneapolis. Team Trump has been planning for a moment like this. By Asawin Suebsaeng and Prem Thakker Donald Trump and his administration have always known the time would come that they would have to protect one of their Immigration and...
Detroit records lowest homicide total since 1964, police say
January 9th, 20260 DETROIT – In a clear sign of continued improvements in public safety in a city once known decades ago as the “crime capital” of the United States, 2025 saw Detroit record its lowest number of homicides since 1964, according to Police Chief Todd Bettison. The city recorded 165 homicides last year, a 19 percent decline from the......
ICE kills legal observer in cold blood in Minneapolis
January 9th, 20260 A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday. The woman, a legal observer identified as Renee Nicole Good, was in her vehicle, apparently attempting to leave the scene. As she did so, an agent emerged, aimed his gun, and shot her in the...
Canton police bust counterfeiting ring, arrest three in Detroit raid
December 19th, 20250 CANTON — Last week, following an investigation launched by Canton Township police after noticing an increase in the circulation of counterfeit $100 bills at local businesses, prosecutors said authorities arrested a three-person ring at a Detroit home where the fake currency was allegedly being produced. Arrested were Darrion......
Judge sentences 75-year-old man to 7–15 years for attempted murder of Arab American child
December 19th, 20250 DETROIT — A Wayne County court sentenced a Detroit man to 7 to 15 years in prison for attempting to kill a then-7-year-old Yemeni American child in a Detroit park on October 8, 2024. Gary Lansky, 74, pleaded guilty last month to attempted murder but claimed he suffers from mental illness, a factor that led to a reduced...
Two men sentenced to life for killing jeweler Hussein Murray in his Rochester Hills home
December 12th, 20250 PONTIAC — On Tuesday, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge sentenced two men to life in prison for killing Arab American jeweler Hussein Murray and robbing his Rochester Hills home after posing as DTE gas workers in the fall of 2024. During the sentencing hearing, Carlos Hernandez, 38, and Joshua Zuazo, 40, remained silent as Judge...
DOJ suing Westland landlord for sexual harassment and retaliation against female tenants
December 5th, 20250 WESTLAND — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing a landlord for sexual harassment and retaliation against female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Former mayoral candidate William Asper allegedly began sexually harassing female tenants in 2018, offering housing-related benefits in exchange for sexual contact, making...
Oakland County Dr. Oumair Aejaz sentenced to at least 35 years for secretly filming women and sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl
December 5th, 20250 PONTIAC – On Tuesday, the Oakland County Circuit Court sentenced an Indian American physician to a minimum of 35 years in prison after he secretly filmed several underage girls and women in changing rooms at a local swim school, and after police discovered videos of him sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl. Dr. Oumair Aejaz, 41, of......
Three men convicted in deadly robbery of Hassan Salame outside Dearborn restaurant
DETROIT — On Tuesday, a Wayne County jury convicted three men on all charges in the September 2023 killing of Hassan Salame, a 29-year-old Arab American business owner from Dearborn, who was fatally shot during a robbery outside Xushi Ko restaurant in East Dearborn. The incident occurred late on Sept. 19, 2023, shortly after Salame...
Texas man charged in Shelby Township with double murder of two Chaldean men
November 13th, 20250 SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A horrifying double homicide claimed the lives of two Chaldean men in Shelby Township after a disgruntled customer from Texas returned to a local auto dealership and opened fire, killing the dealership owner and his friend on Friday, November 7. Authorities arrested the suspected gunman the following day at a hotel in......
Illinois man arrested for threatening to bomb a Dearborn Heights mosque
November 13th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The Dearborn Heights Police Department has announced the arrest of an Illinois resident accused of threatening a local mosque in late September. Police increased security around the Islamic Institute of America on the evening of September 29, after receiving a report about a bomb threat targeting the mosque, located...
Sterling Heights couple charged in conspiracy to kill Arab American businessman Eddie Jawad
November 7th, 20250 SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI – As investigations continue into the attempted murder of Arab American businessman Eddie Jawad, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office filed new criminal charges on Monday related to embezzlement and conspiracy to commit murder against a married couple from Sterling Heights who worked for Jawad Investment Group,......
