Gosar questions explosion suspect’s status in US

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (Photo by Evan Wyloge/Arizona Capitol Times)

An Arizona congressman is questioning why an Iraqi native charged with detonating a homemade explosive device outside a federal building hadn’t been deported despite his criminal history and being denied citizenship.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that Abdullatif Ali Aldosary’s previous arrests weren’t considered deportable offenses. Agency spokesman Gillian Christensen says Aldosary was denied citizenship because he participated in an uprising against Iraqi government forces in Basra in 1991.

Republican Rep. Paul Gosar wrote to the agency Wednesday about Aldosary, who is in the country legally.

Christensen says a request from Aldosary for permanent residency is pending.

Federal immigration officials placed a detainer on Aldosary after he was booked into jail last week. Authorities say he detonated a small explosive outside the Social Security Administration office in Casa Grande.