Ohio man arrested for allegedly plotting to kill George W. Bush


The FBI has arrested an Iraqi citizen living in Columbus, Ohio, for allegedly plotting to assassinate former President George W. Bush in the name of ISIS, Forbes reported Tuesday.
On March 23, the FBI filed for a search warrant for Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, who entered the United States in 2020 and had an asylum application pending at the time of his arrest. The FBI's search warrant application was unsealed this week.
According to that document, Shihab wanted to murder the former president to avenge the 2003 invasion of Iraq. To this end, he allegedly traveled to Dallas to surveil Bush's home and used WhatsApp to arrange for four to six ISIS operatives to be smuggled from Iraq to the U.S. via the Mexican border, per NBC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Forbes, the FBI's warrant application mentions a pair of confidential informants, "one who claimed to offer assistance obtaining false immigration and identification documents" and another who claimed to be a "customer of the alleged people smuggler."
Federal agents learned of the plot in November 2021, when Shihab asked an FBI informant for help obtaining fake police or FBI credentials.
Bush's chief of staff, Freddy Ford, said in a statement that the former president "has all the confidence in the world in the U.S. Secret Service and our law enforcement and intelligence communities."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens
Feature A permanent new museum
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies