Sheik Mohamed Abdirahman Kariye, 40, was arrested Sunday on charges of unlawful use of a Social Security number and unlawful possession of a U.S. government document. An indictment alleges Kariye used false information - including a changed name - while applying for and receiving three different Social Security cards between 1983 and 1995 and using false information, including different birth years and names for his father, in applications for asylum and U.S. citizenship.
Kariye remained in jail pending a court appearance later Monday. He is a clergyman at the Islamic Center of Portland-Masjed As-Saber, a mosque. Members of the mosque told The Oregonian that Kariye, a native of Somalia, had gone with his children to Portland International Airport on Sunday to fly to the United Arab Emirates.
Talal Abdulkarim, a spokesman for the center, described Kariye as a highly respected and devout member of Portland's Muslim community and said he did not know why the Joint Terrorism Task Force had pursued him. Abdulkarim had no further comment. Neither did the FBI.
Phone listings show a Mohamed Kariye living in southwest Portland, but no one answered calls at that address.
