Latest news with #HomaidanAlTurki
Gulf Insider
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Saudi National Homaidan Al Turki To Be Deported After Nearly Two Decades In US Prison
Saudi national Homaidan Al Turki, who spent nearly 20 years in a United States prison, is expected to be deported to Saudi Arabia in the coming days. The 56-year-old was released from prison last month and has since been in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as final deportation procedures are completed. On Sunday, Al Turki's family was notified that his repatriation is imminent, with travel arrangements nearing completion. His family in Saudi Arabia expressed deep gratitude for his release after 19 years behind bars, extending their profound thanks to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their 'unwavering support and continuous follow-up' throughout the duration of the case. In a press statement, the family also commended the efforts of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, led by Ambassador Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan. They noted that both official and public support played a vital role in securing what they described as a 'big relief.' Al Turki was convicted in 2006 on charges of unlawful imprisonment and assault against his Indonesian housekeeper in the state of Colorado, a case that sparked widespread controversy and allegations of judicial bias. During his time in prison, Al Turki filed several legal motions challenging his conviction, including a recent claim that his original defence counsel failed to provide adequate representation. The court then resentenced him to six years in prison and a mandatory parole term—both of which were deemed already served due to the 19 years he spent behind bars. According to local media reports, the court in Colorado ruled last month to close Al Turki's case and authorise his deportation after he accepted a plea agreement, admitting guilt to 11 amended ruling followed a new hearing in which his legal team successfully argued that his original trial was marred by ineffective counsel. The decision ends a legal saga that began in 2004, when Al Turki was first arrested alongside his wife for alleged immigration violations and was later re-arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 28 years in prison. His case drew intense attention both in Saudi Arabia and among Muslim advocacy groups in the US, who argued he was targeted due to rising Islamophobia in the post-9/11 climate. Al Turki, the former linguistics scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Denver, maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment, describing himself as a victim of anti-Muslim sentiment.
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Fox News
ICE arrests ‘criminal alien' released from prison with sex crimes conviction: 'He won't be welcome back'
A "criminal alien" and "suspected terrorist" who served 19 years in prison for holding his housekeeper captive and repeatedly molesting her, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials after his release from the Arapahoe County Jail in Centennial, Colorado, Tuesday, and will be deported back to Saudi Arabia. Following a jury trial in 2006, Homaidan Al-Turki Al-Turki was convicted of misdemeanor false imprisonment, misdemeanor conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, 11 counts of felony unlawful sexual contact, felony extortion, and felony theft of $15,000 or more. Al-Turki served a six-years-to-life sentence at the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC). He first became parole-eligible in 2011, but failed to participate in the DOC's sex-offender treatment program, preventing his release and delaying his deportation back to Saudi Arabia. Al-Turki filed numerous motions with the courts while incarcerated, including a recent pending motion alleging his defense counsel did not adequately represent him at trial. In granting him a hearing, District Court Judge Eric White said, "[t]he defendant's counsel may not have understood fundamental aspects of the submitted jury instructions, particularly that misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact could be elevated to a felony conviction if the jury found that Al-Turki used force, intimidation, or threats to cause the victim's submission." Al-Turki's original attorneys said they thought the unlawful sexual contact convictions were for misdemeanor offenses, which would have carried a jail sentence of up to two years. However, because the jury found him guilty of unlawful sexual contact offenses that were committed through physical force and violence, the charges were enhanced to class 4 felonies. Al-Turki was sentenced to several concurrent terms of six-years-to-life in prison on those counts and was ordered to complete sex offender treatment. The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office agreed on Tuesday to amend some of the felony counts, with the condition he is sent back to his home country. Al-Turki, now 56, pleaded guilty, and was immediately sentenced to concurrent terms of six years in the Colorado DOC. The sentence on each count was ordered to be served concurrently, to include a mandatory period of parole supervision that Al-Turki had already served due to his nearly 19 years in prison. He was taken into ICE custody Tuesday afternoon pursuant to a removal order to deport him back to Saudi Arabia. "Based on careful analysis of the facts and evidence presented through the 35(c) motion, as well as the difficulty in re-trying the case nearly two decades later if the motion was successful, our office determined that resentencing Al-Turki to 11 felony sex offenses, in addition to the other offenses that he stands convicted of, and resulting in his removal from the United States, is the appropriate outcome in this case at this time," Colorado 18th Judicial District Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said. While Brackley said it was a difficult decision, he noted it "strikes the right balance between ensuring that Al-Turki remains a convicted sex felon and is removed from our community, while at the same time considering the resources that have been expended in holding this defendant accountable." ICE officials said Al-Turki first entered the U.S. at an unknown location in 1992, before leaving in 1993. In 1994, he lawfully reentered again at an unknown location. In 2001, Al-Turki was questioned about the 9/11 attacks, and left the U.S. again at an unknown time and place. He lawfully reentered the U.S. again in 2002. He was convicted of the crimes in 2006, and has had an administrative order of removal since 2013. "He won't be welcome back to the United States again," ICE officials wrote in a post on X.
CBS News
09-05-2025
- CBS News
ICE to deport Saudi Arabian national, convicted kidnapper after release from Colorado jail
ICE Denver has arrested a man recently released from Arapahoe County Jail. Homaidan Ali Ilbrahim al-Turki was convicted in 2006 for sexually assaulting and enslaving his Indonesian housekeeper. He was found guilty of 12 counts of sexual assault, kidnapping, two counts of false imprisonment and theft of $15,000 or more. Originally sentenced to a minimum of 28 years in prison, al-Turki's sentence was reduced to a minimum of 8 years in 2011. Former State Prisons Director Tom Clements denied his request to serve his sentence in Saudi Arabia after al-Turki refused to undergo sex offender treatment. A week later, authorities said Evan Ebel shot and killed Clements. Al-Turki and his lawyers denied that he had any involvement in the murder and filed a lawsuit alleging that state officials had leaked that "the main working theory" of the investigation was possible retaliation for the denial. Al-Turki was released from jail Tuesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement According to ICE, al-Turki entered the United States for the first time in 1992 and left the following year. They said he legally reentered the country in 1994. Authorities suspected al-Turki of terrorist activity and questioned him about the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, after which he left the country again. In 2002, ICE said he lawfully reentered the United States. Al-Turki reportedly has an administrative order of removal from 2013. ICE said he will not be allowed to return to the U.S.
