UPDATE:
Ahmed Alaklouk pleaded guilty and has been ordered to be removed from the United States to Saudi Arabia.
ORIGINAL STORY:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A man in the U.S. illegally faces federal and state charges related to a pair of gun scares.
Ahmed Alaklouk, 22, has been living in Indiana on a terminated student visa. He’s a Tunisian native and Saudi Arabian citizen, according to court documents. Under federal law, someone in the country illegally is prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition.
The first case happened on Jan. 20. Security at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis called Indianapolis Metropolitan police after seeing several firearms in Alaklouk’s truck, including six handguns in the front seat and a rifle.
Police said the rifle had been modified to resemble an AR-15 and included a scope, bipod and bump stock; Alaklouk told police it was “fully tricked out” and claimed the rifle belonged to his father. Police told Alaklouk to secure the weapons because someone could break into his truck and steal them, according to court documents.
He unlocked the truck and moved the rifle to the back seat. Security checked later and found the rifle near the passenger seat; it was a concern because Alaklouk’s room overlooked the Women’s March downtown and thousands were expected to attend that day. The crowd was later estimated at more than 3,500 people.
Security and IMPD removed Alaklouk and two other men from the hotel that morning and monitored him at the business he owns, Medo Tire Shop at 3546 W. 16th St. He didn’t leave the business that day.
Still, the case prompted U.S. Homeland Security to take a closer look at Alaklouk’s immigration status. The agency discovered that Alaklouk’s student visa had been terminated in September 2017.
A week after the hotel incident, Alaklouk got into an argument with a customer at his tire shop. The customer said he sold her a tire that wouldn’t hold air; the disagreement led to a fight involving the customer, her father, Alaklouk and other workers.
During the incident, Alaklouk and another employee pulled handguns on the woman and her father. The woman retrieved a gun from her car and fired a shot in the air; Alaklouk got his rifle from inside the shop and threatened to kill the pair.
He later pulled his truck behind their vehicle so they couldn’t leave. The woman called police.
Officers found a pair of handguns inside the tire shop; both turned out to be pellet guns, police said. They found a handgun at Alaklouk’s home.
During an interview, Alaklouk said he’d accepted the rifle in exchange for work he performed on a customer’s car. He admitted the rifle was his and didn’t belong to his father, as he’d originally told investigators. He said he kept his firearms in his vehicle because his wife didn’t want them in their home.
In addition to the federal case, Alaklouk is charged in Marion County with two felony counts of criminal confinement, two felony counts of intimidation, one felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm and misdemeanor battery. An immigration detainer has been placed on Alaklouk.
