Khaled Abu Dahab, convicted al Qaeda recruiter, stripped of U.S. citizenship

A former car salesman who admittedly operated a “communications hub” for Islamic terrorists from his California apartment was formally stripped of U.S. citizenship this week by a federal court judge.

Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell authorized Wednesday a court order officially denaturalizing Khaled Abu Dahab, an Egyptian-born al Qaeda recruiter who was given U.S. citizenship in 1997, the Justice Department said.

Dahab, 57, was arrested in Cairo a year later and ultimately admitted being a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, or EIJ — an al Qaeda affiliate designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. and others, the Justice Department said. He was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Dahab told investigators he recruited Americans into al Qaeda while he lived in California for 12 years employed as a car salesman, and even said his services earned recognition from Osama bin Laden himself, according to prosecutors.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Dahab was required to maintain “good moral character” to gain citizenship, the Justice Department said Thursday. To the contrary, Dahab previously told investigators that his Santa Clara apartment functioned as a “communications hub” for EIJ operatives prior to his arrest, using the facility to transfer fraudulent passports, documents, money and other items between and among EIJ members, in turn providing material assistance in the form of helping orchestrate terror attacks in Egypt and Pakistan, according to the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors initiated the process of revoking Dahab’s citizenship in 2015 due to false testimony provided at the time of his application — namely his association with known terrorists.

“The Justice Department is committed to protecting our nation’s national security and will aggressively pursue denaturalization of known or suspected terrorists,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to using all tools at its disposal, both criminally and civilly, to strategically enforce our nation’s immigration laws and to disrupt international terrorism.”