ERO Newark removes Saudi national following FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation

NEWARK, N.J. — Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark removed a Saudi Arabian man who admitted transporting a stolen school bus across state lines. Officers from ERO Newark removed Bader Alzahrani, 24, of Saudi Arabia, from the United States to his native country and turned him over to Saudi authorities.

“Bader Fahad Alzahrani not only violated the terms of his admission to the United States but has proven himself to be a danger to the community through his unlawful and reckless actions,” said ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “ERO Newark would like to thank FBI Newark and our law enforcement partners for their assistance in this case.”

"The speed with which our law enforcement partners identified and mitigated the threat posed by Alzahrani should reassure the communities we serve. Our FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force works hand in hand with ICE ERO and other state and local agencies in New Jersey for just the circumstances that developed in this investigation. When a situation could potentially escalate, we are all ready to act immediately to keep the public safe," said FBI Newark acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado.

Alzahrani lawfully entered the United States July 12, 2022. However, he violated the terms of his lawful admission.

According to the investigation, Livingston Police responded to a break-in Jan. 15, 2023, at an unoccupied residential home in Livingston.

During a search of a backpack in that home, authorities discovered a Saudi Arabian passport with the name Bader Alzahrani and other items that appeared to belong to Alzahrani.

The Livingston Board of Education reported Jan. 17, 2023, that a school bus had been stolen from a parking lot across the street from the unoccupied residential home where the break-in was reported.

During the ensuing investigation, law enforcement located Alzahrani in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. After taking Alzahrani into custody, authorities searched him and recovered the keys to the stolen school bus.

FBI agents arrested Alzahrani Jan. 30, 2023, and charged him with receipt of a stolen vehicle and transportation of a stolen vehicle.

Alzahrani pleaded guilty in the U.S. Federal Court for the District of New Jersey Aug. 14, 2024, to one count of an indictment charging him with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.

The court sentenced Alzahrani Sept. 9 to time served and issued a judicial order of removal from the United States. ERO Newark took him into custody following the sentencing.

Officers from ERO Newark removed Bader Alzahrani, 24, of Saudi Arabia from the United States to his native country and turned him over to Saudi authorities.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Newark’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ERONewark.