Today, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson pressed the Biden Administration to be more forthcoming with answers regarding the recent arrest of a potential terrorist suspect in Gates County, North Carolina. Following the arrest of a suspect after an hours-long standoff in Eure, North Carolina last week, the Gates County Sheriff’s office reported receiving notice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that the suspect may be on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list.
“I applaud Gates County Sheriff Ray Campbell and his team for getting this dangerous criminal off the street,” Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said. “Our brave law enforcement professionals are a credit to the people of North Carolina. Their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe deserves more cooperation from federal agencies that ought to be partnering with state and local law enforcement to prevent situations like this to begin with. I hope that the Biden Administration will act urgently to be more forthcoming regarding this potential terrorism suspect.”
While responding to a recent incident in Eure, North Carolina, the Gates County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) arrested a suspect named Awet Hagos following an hours-long standoff. According to GCSO, Hagos was charged with three counts of assault on a government official, three counts of resisting a public officer, as well as a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
“I am proud of the dedicated professionals of our department for their dedication to keeping our county safe,” Gates County Sheriff Ray Campbell said. “I hope that their efforts will be met with more information and a stronger sense of urgency from our federal partners. I appreciate Lt. Gov. Robinson showing leadership on this issue. The Gates County Sheriff’s Office will continue to do all we can to ensure dangerous criminals like this are off the streets and behind bars where they belong.”
After communicating with Gates County Sheriff Ray Campbell, and according to additional news reports, the Office of the Lt. Governor learned that GCSO received notice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that Hagos may be on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list.
In a letter to President Biden and senior administration officials, Lt. Gov. Robinson and state leaders pressed for more information from the relevant federal agencies regarding the arrest of Hagos. The full letter is available online.