Figure in Terror Probe Denies Federal Charges
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Ninety-eight days after being arrested and transported to New York as a material witness in the terrorism probe, a La Mesa man pleaded innocent to immigration violations.
Omer Salmain Saleh Bakarbashat, 28, entered his plea Friday. He was charged Dec. 11 with five felony counts of misuse of immigration documents and with Social Security fraud, according to a complaint. He also faces charges filed last month in New York that he overstayed his student visa and worked illegally at a La Mesa gas station.
A bail hearing was set for Thursday. Assistant U.S. Atty. Michael Wheat said he will oppose bail because Bakarbashat, a Yemeni citizen with family in Saudi Arabia, has no community ties and is a flight risk.
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