'Most wanted' fugitive with links to Brothers Keepers arrested near Seattle after nearly 2 years on the run
After months of evading police, a high-profile suspect in multiple homicides with links to the Brothers Keepers gang was arrested Monday near Seattle during a robbery at a hookah lounge, according to the U.S Border Services.
Naseem Ali Mohammed — who goes by at least two other aliases, including Mobert Ahmad — was arrested Nov. 8, accused of trying to steal a gold ring using the threat of violence and displaying a firearm, according to charges obtained by CBC that were filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney.
Mohammed, 23, is charged with robbery in the first degree, attempted robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was held in King County Jail near Seattle on a $75,000 bail after the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office argued that he was a danger to the community.
The charge sheet lists his real name as his alias, but RCMP and U.S. court documents confirmed he is the same person arrested at the B.C.-Montana border last January for crossing illegally into the U.S.
Surrey RCMP confirmed they have been monitoring social media accounts where Mohammed is seen posting videos and appearing to smoke marijuana and taunt rival gangs and authorities, or flaunted stacks of cash and expensive sneakers and jewelry.
Mohammed is set to enter a plea at his arraignment on Nov. 24 at the King County Courthouse. The suspect was already facing felony charges — which carry a prison sentence of up to five years or a $250,000 fine — in Montana, for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and making a false statement to a U.S. agency when he was arrested near the town of Eureka on Jan. 23.
According to documents filed by the King County prosecutors office, he and three older men dressed in camouflage were arrested as they crossed into an area with no official border crossing checkpoint. He had no identification and stated his name was Ahmed Bati.
He was released after a check revealed no criminal history in the U.S. and has remained at large ever since.
Police later learned of his links to the B.C. gang world.
In February 2021, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Seth Justensen's affidavit said Mohammed was a "high-ranking member of the Brothers Keepers gang" and "most wanted" fugitive in Surrey, B.C., who had been "on the run" since February of 2020 and was the RCMP's "the primary suspect in multiple gang-related homicides that spanned two provinces."
Today Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) confirmed to CBC that police were aware of Mohammed's arrest this week in the U.S.
Surrey RCMP also confirmed that Mohammed is no longer on the lam.
"We will continue to work with our partners at CFSEU and American authorities. Naseem Mohammed is still considered wanted in Canada as his warrants have not been executed, however he is no longer at large," said Cpl. Vanessa Munn of Surrey RCMP.
The Brothers Keepers has been locked in a bloody battle with other rivals including the Red Scorpion-Kang group and the United Nations.
Gary Kang was killed in a suspected gang hit on Jan. 6, shot in his family home in South Surrey.
This month the anti-gang CFSEU announced that 27 charges had been laid after a three-year investigation targeting the Brothers Keepers.
