Hezbollah member caught at border could’ve been released into US if he hadn’t admitted terror ties: sources
If the Hezbollah member caught at the southern border had not admitted his ties to the militant group to authorities, he may have been released into the country, federal law enforcement sources told The Post.
Lebanese national Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was first caught by the US Border Patrol on March 9 near El Paso, Texas, according to internal documents exclusively obtained by The Post.
After his arrest and while in custody, Ebbadi told medical personnel on March 11 “I’m going to try to make a bomb” in the US.
On March 12, Ebbadi admitted to a border agent he is a member of Hezbollah, according to the Border Patrol document. However, it wasn’t until March 17 Ebbadi was confirmed as a “positive match” on the terror watchlist — raising concerns about whether border agents have enough time to properly screen those coming into the US.
An ICE source told The Post that if Ebbadi had “not admitted to being part of Hezbollah,” Border Patrol could’ve potentially released him into the country freely, with a date to report in to court; or potentially placed him on an ankle monitor as an ‘alternative to detention’ measure.
Ebbadi told federal authorities he had been trying to flee Lebanon and Hezbollah because he “didn’t want to kill people” and said “once you’re in, you can never get out,” according to internal ICE documents.
Terror affiliations aren’t immediately clear when Border Patrol vets migrants through their databases, a source with the agency told The Post.
In order to know someone is a member of a terrorist organization, border agents first see an unidentified red flag when they’re running background checks.
They can then ask the FBI to find out what the alert means, a process which can take longer than the time an individual is in custody — typically around 72 hours.
“The only reason we caught this guy is because he’s a moron and he admitted. If he never said anything, he would’ve gotten through,” the Border Patrol source claimed.
“We’re getting so many thousands of people coming through, it’s not like you’re being scrutinized,” the source added.
Former Border Patrol Chief for Arizona’s Yuma Sector Chris Clem told The Post one way Ebbadi could’ve been released is if there wasn’t enough room in facilities to keep him detained.
“He would’ve been one of the ones that if there was not detention space, he could’ve potentially been released because of those delayed [reports], which is precisely why I have repeatedly said we have got to detain people until there is zero uncertainty of who they are, what their intentions are, who their sponsors are and where they’re from,” Clem said.
“Because it took five days for [the terror watchlist report ] to come back and return as a hit, there is that possibility he could’ve been released,” Clem said.
“Had he just kept his mouth shut and played the game, he possibly could’ve been released … that’s very concerning,” Clem said.
In September 2022, migrant Jose Ibarra was released after less than 24 hours in custody at El Paso due to there being no space in the facility. He was released on parole and given free rein in the US until October 2024, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement insiders. On Feb. 22 Ibarra was arrested and charged with murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Since that time it has emerged that he and his brother, who he was living with at the time, both have link links to Venezuelan gang El Tren de Aragua.
After his arrest, Ebbadi told Border Patrol he had seven years of training with Hezbollah and an additional four years of active membership as a weapons guard.
Ebbadi claimed he was robbed “with a knife” of his identity documents in Costa Rica. He also said he used fake birthday and name in Sweden, Ecuador and Panama this year.
He hoped to make his way to New York and then ultimately to travel around the country, he said.
Ebbadi is currently in ICE custody and has been marked for deportation, according to ICE sources.
