An airport security guard allegedly carried out war crimes against the Isaaq clan during the Somalian civil war.
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Yusuf Abdi Ali, 63, who was discovered by CNN to be now employed by private security contractor Master Security, was previously a commander in Somali National Army during Somalia’s bloody civil war. There is no criminal court in the world that can try him for war crimes, as none have the necessary jurisdiction. Barre’s regime came to power in the 1969 through a coup and terrorized the African nation for decades, routinely burning down villages, taking citizens hostage and executing innocent people.
The local and federal agencies handling American airports could not explain Thursday why an accused war criminal was hired as security guard at Dulles International Airport despite the fact that authorities knew about the serious allegations against him.
“The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority maintains a contract with Master Security to provide unarmed security services”, MWAA spokesman Rob Yingling said.
As a result of CNN’s investigation, Ali has been placed on administrative leave.
According to the report, Ali passed a federally mandated background test to work at the airport. One key reason for this is that no criminal court really has jurisdiction to do so.
“How dare anyone call him a war criminal”, Joseph Peter Drennan, Ali’s lawyer, said.
“We welcome today’s ruling that Colonel Ali must face justice for his crimes in court but we respectfully disagree with the panel’s decision to dismiss the mass atrocity claims”.
Most puzzling to her is his return to the United States. Furthermore, Drennan states that Ali reentered the USA legally in 1996.
“There’s about 1,000 suspected perpetrators in the United States”, Roberts said. The other part of the suit – claims that he committed “war crimes” – can not because those alleged crimes happened outside of the United States. Should they be deported to be tried in their home country or first tried in the U.S.? At the time, the Siad Barre government was a USA ally.
“Yusuf Ali”, the producer said.
Ali eventually migrated from Somalia when the barre regime collapsed in 1991. He was deported several years later after the CBC network aired a documentary about his war crimes in Somalia.
Drennan said there should be no concerns whatsoever that Ali was working at an airport.
Whether or not Ali breached immigration regulations to enter the US, as the lawsuit against him states, is besides the point. She’d claimed to be a refugee from the Somali clan Ali is accused of torturing.
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Comstock now wants an in-person briefing from agencies involved.
