Saudi Government May Have Helped an Alleged Hit-Run Killer Flee United States: Report
FUGITIVE
Max Rossi/REUTERS
A Saudi national facing prosecution in the fatal hit-and-run of a Portland, Oregon teenager may have fled the United States with the help of his homeland’s government, according to The Oregonian. Abdulrahman Semeer Noorah, then a student at Portland Community College, was charged with allegedly killing 15-year-old Fallon Smart as she was crossing the street on Aug. 19 2016. Just two weeks before his scheduled trial in June 2017, Noorah disappeared. A black SUV came to Noorah’s home and drove him to a “sand-and-gravel” area two miles away, the paper reports. There, Noorah reportedly cut off his ankle monitor. Authorities told The Oregonian they think Noorah got his hands on an illegal passport and then hopped on a plane to flee the United States. Law enforcement officials believe the plane was probably from a private airline. Authorities are fairly certain that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia helped Noorah plot his escape, the Oregonian reported. While prosecutors hope to try Noorah, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia do not have an extradition agreement. News of the Kingdom's potential involvement Noorah's escape comes in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.