Two Arab American men charged with operating chop shop for stolen vehicles
August 15th, 20250 WAYNE – The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has filed multiple criminal charges against two Arab American men accused of operating a chop shop in the city of Wayne to dismantle stolen vehicles and sell their parts. The defendants, Mohamad El-Hadi, 41, of Canton Township, the owner of Hadi’s Cash for Cars, and Dani Mourad, 44,...
Michigan AG charges four men in largest counterfeit goods seizure in state history
August 15th, 20250 LANSING – In what she described as the largest counterfeit goods seizure in the state’s history, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced criminal charges against four men accused of running a network that sold fake perfumes through major online platforms such as Walmart and Amazon. The defendants were identified as Bilal...
Dearborn man Jafar Almaarej arrested after alleged kidnapping his daughter in Pennsylvania
August 8th, 20250 After four days of continuous searching, authorities arrested an Iraqi American man from Dearborn on charges of kidnapping his daughter from his ex-wife’s home in Pennsylvania last Sunday. Police had circulated a photo of Jafar Almaarej (39), who was wanted by the Millcreek Township Police Department in Pennsylvania on charges of...
Former Inkster mayor faces prison in $100K bribery scheme; former aide accused of lying to the FBI
August 7th, 20250 DETROIT – A former executive assistant to ex-Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly has resigned from his top Wayne County job amid an FBI investigation into a bribery scheme that could soon bring federal charges against him. Saif Alsenad, 33, of Dearborn Heights, stepped down Monday from his $103,781-a-year position as Wayne County’s...
Dearborn Heights man sentenced to three years probation for harboring and sexually exploiting a teenage runaway
August 4th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – A 62-year-old Dearborn Heights man has been sentenced to three years of probation after admitting to harboring and sexually exploiting a minor runaway girl last spring. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy had charged Kamal Abou Darwiche with sexual exploitation of a minor, in addition to charges of harboring a...
Dearborn man charged with human trafficking after death of Brazilian woman in South Lyon
July 11th, 20250 A Dearborn man has been charged in connection with what the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is saying is the human trafficking of a Brazilian woman whose body was discovered in a South Lyon field more than a year ago. Fareed George Hajjar, 57, was arraigned Wednesday morning on one count of prostitution/transporting a person and one...
Dearborn Police Department enforces zero-tolerance fireworks policy over July 4 holiday, arrests 48 and issues 310 citations
July 11th, 20250 DEARBORN — To mark the U.S. Independence Day, Dearborn Police carried out a large-scale enforcement campaign over three days to uphold fireworks regulations and ensure safety and peace across city neighborhoods. The Dearborn Police Department reported that the initiative led to the arrest of 48 individuals and the issuance of 310...
Animal Control removes 20+ dogs from a home
July 4th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Dearborn Heights Ordinance and Animal Control Department recently removed approximately 20 dogs from a home on Fleming Street. On Wednesday, July 2, the department executed a search warrant following a police matter involving the killing of a dog which had resulted in a case of animal cruelty/killing/torturing...
Macomb County teen faces federal charges over child porn and animal torture videos
June 27th, 20250 MACOMB COUNTY — An 18-year-old resident of Macomb Township has been federally charged with distributing child pornography and graphic animal torture videos. According to federal authorities, the suspect’s actions are linked to a violent extremist Discord community known as “764.” Jolyan Raeed Zahrah is accused of having multiple...
Dearborn cracks down on wedding convoys: Arab American man arrested for firing gun from rented Lamborghini
June 15th, 20251 DEARBORN — Amid the festive atmosphere of Eid al-Adha and high school graduation season, the city witnessed a troubling surge in dangerous stunt driving over the past week. In response, Dearborn Police ramped up enforcement against reckless drivers and impounded several high-end sports cars — including one incident involving an Arab...
Michigan man faces federal charges after he misses his flight, then made a bomb threat to delay it
June 14th, 20250 ROMULUS — A man in his twenties from Monroe is facing federal charges that could land him in prison for several years after making a false bomb threat in an attempt to delay a departing flight for which he was late. The incident occurred on the morning of Thursday, June 5, when the man called in a hoax about an explosive device aboard...Dearborn Heights man faces 30 years in prison for alleged sexual assault, harboring of teen girl
June 14th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Wayne County prosecutors filed multiple felony charges against a 62-year-old Arab man from Dearborn Heights last week for allegedly harboring a 16-year-old runaway girl, sexually assaulting her and providing her with marijuana. The teen had reportedly escaped from a juvenile facility in Dearborn Heights in mid-March...
Michigan State University agrees to pay $29.75 million to three students injured in 2023 mass shooting
June 13th, 20250 EAST LANSING — Attorneys for Michigan State University announced on Tuesday that the university has reached a nearly $30 million settlement to compensate three students who survived the mass shooting on campus in East Lansing in 2023. Attorneys Mick Grewal and Scott Weidenfeller of Okemos-based Grewal Law stated that a $14.25 million...
Pork on pizza, slurs at pickup: Domino’s in Waterford accused of Islamophobia
June 6th, 20250 WATERFORD — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan) has filed a civil rights complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, accusing a Domino’s Pizza outlet in Waterford of violating the constitutional rights of two Muslim women and their children following an alleged incident of...
Dearborn man pleads guilty in federal gun charge after threatening Jewish temple visitors in Detroit area
May 30th, 20250 DETROIT – A Dearborn man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, more than two years after he threatened to kill visitors at a Jewish temple in Oakland County and attempted to illegally purchase firearms. Hassan Chokr, 37, admitted on Tuesday to possessing a firearm......
Dearborn approves Fūsus surveillance system to fight crime amid fears of targeting activists and immigrants
May 23rd, 20250 DEARBORN – In an effort to enhance public safety and combat crime, the Dearborn City Council approved a $720,000 five-year contract last month with Axon to implement the Fūsus real-time surveillance system. The program will allow police to access emergency calls and live camera feeds from participating businesses and residents — a...
Melvindale man faces terror charges over planned attack on Warren military facility
May 16th, 20252 An Arab American man from Melvindale is facing federal charges for attempting to carry out an armed attack on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS against a military base in Warren on Tuesday. The arrest followed an undercover sting operation by two FBI agents that lasted nearly a year. The U.S. Department of Justice announced......
Dearborn Heights police chief pledges full cooperation with investigation of alleged sexual assault charges against former sergeant
May 7th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Police officials were recently made aware of an incident that led to an officer sharing information regarding an alleged sexual assault that occurred between 2021 and 2022 at the Dearborn Heights Police Headquarters. The accused individual has not been employed by the department since 2023. Police Chief Ahmed...
“Wrong phone number” scams are on the rise
May 2nd, 20250 If you've received an innocent-sounding text from a number you don't recognize, it's not actually innocent. It's likely the start of a "wrong phone number" scam, which is increasingly being used to steal money and information from victims. I personally have been sent variations on this theme: "Hello! I hope you had a good day." "Are you...
Missing teen found in Dearborn Heights; 62-year old man arrested for harboring her without prior relationship
May 2nd, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Nearly a month and a half after a 16-year-old girl escaped from a juvenile care center in Dearborn Heights, local police have located her living in a home in the city with a Lebanese national, who has since been arrested and handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Authorities discovered that he...
Dearborn man faces life sentence for arson at Garden City massage center
April 18th, 20250 GARDEN CITY — A 34-year-old Arab American man from Dearborn, identified as Ali Al-Shimary, is facing eight felony charges — including attempted murder and arson — after allegedly setting fire to a massage center in Garden City while two women were inside. The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, when Garden......
Arab American child struck and killed by ice cream truck in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood
April 18th, 20250 DETROIT — A tragic accident in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood has left the Arab American community in mourning after Mubarak Walid, a 6-year-old boy, was fatally struck by an ice cream truck Monday evening. According to Detroit Police Department Capt. Shannon Hampton, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. at the intersection of...
Spitting match turns violent: Gunfire erupts at Southfield gas station
April 11th, 20250 SOUTHFIELD – An Arab American gas station attendant in Southfield is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon after firing multiple shots to intimidate an African American customer who spat on him during a verbal altercation earlier this month. The incident occurred at a station on Greenfield Road near 10 Mile. The attendant,......
Four Hamtramck City Council members under investigation for election fraud
April 11th, 20250 Four of the six members of the Hamtramck City Council, along with a former member, are under criminal investigation for conspiracy and election fraud related to the illegal acquisition of absentee ballots. This is according to official documents recently released by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which requested the...
Fourth suspect charged in Dearborn murder of Arab American business owner in 2023
March 29th, 20250 DEARBORN – The number of individuals charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Arab American Hassan Mahmoud Salame in Dearborn in 2023 has risen to four, following an announcement last week by the Dearborn Police Department that criminal charges have been filed against 35-year-old Dawanne Midgett for his alleged involvement in......
