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Two illegal Jordanian immigrants charged with trying to break into the Marine Corps base at Quantico in May have paid thousands of dollars in bail and been allowed to leave federal prison, The Washington Post can exclusively reveal.
Law enforcement sources told The Washington Post that Hasan Yousef Hamdan, 32, and Mohammad Khair Dabous, 28, were released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention despite their different immigration statuses — Hamdan entered the country illegally in April, while Dabous overstayed his student visa and faces deportation proceedings.
They were arrested on May 3 for illegally trespassing on a military facility and were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials regarding their immigration status.
It remains unclear why the men attempted to enter the base.
The site is home to the FBI Academy and FBI Laboratory, as well as Defense Intelligence Agency facilities and several major commands of the United States Marine Corps, including the unit that flies the Marine One presidential helicopter.
“This was a major intelligence failure, a security failure,” a federal law enforcement source told The Washington Post.
“If this was not an act of terrorism, why didn’t government officials release the details? What was the intention?”
Both men posted bail in the ICE case, with Hamdan’s bail set at $15,000 and Dabbs’s bail set at $10,000, and were released in early June, according to federal law enforcement sources.
Hamdan and Dabbous were charged with misdemeanor trespassing on military property and made their first court appearance on July 22. Order to release exist The conditions of their appearance in court Their immigration proceedings were conducted away from Quantico or other military bases, according to court documents. The news was first reported by Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Federal prosecutors support their release under those conditions, court documents show.
Federal law enforcement sources told The Washington Post that Hamdan entered the United States illegally in April through the southern border in San Diego and was released due to a lack of detention space.
Sources said Dabbs was in the U.S. illegally because he overstayed his student visa.
They were issued summonses for trespassing and ordered to appear in federal court in Alexandria on July 22, court documents show.
U.S. District Judge William B. Porter approved their release on the condition that they continue to appear in court for future criminal and immigration cases.
They also are not allowed to trespass on any government property, including the Quantico facility, according to court documents.
The two Jordanians lied to guards at Quantico, claiming they worked for an Amazon subcontractor and were there to make deliveries, base spokesman Captain Michael Curtis previously told The Washington Post.
Officers quickly determined the two men were not supposed to be there.
The two men, travelling in a van, ignored instructions from military guards and tried to drive onto the base but were stopped by anti-vehicle barriers.
The incident caught the attention of Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin, who asked the Biden administration for a status update and criticized the federal government for its “failure to disclose the immigration status of those involved.”
“The Biden administration’s failure to secure the border has brought this crisis to the doorsteps of our military installations,” Younkin said at the time.
It took two weeks for Quantico brass to alert rank-and-file employees to the attempted intrusion, and Matt Strickland, 40, was the first to report it to the new local website. Potomac Local NewsHe previously told The Washington Post.
“After I (sounded the alarm), the Quantico staff messaged me and said, ‘Oh my gosh, when did this happen?'” Strickland said.
“Two weeks after the incident, Quantico finally sent an email to base employees informing them of the situation.”
Curtis said the attempted burglary was “immediately reported to the appropriate military officials.”
He added: “Once an immediate threat to the base or its residents is determined, we always use mass notification and other methods to notify all those who work and live at Marine Corps Base Quantico.”
Criminal defense attorneys for Hamdan and Dabbs did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The two defendants will appear in court in September.
Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory
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