A South African woman whose arrest in July raised concerns about whether terrorists could easily enter the United States by way of Mexico pleaded guilty on Monday to immigration violations.
Federal officials declined to say whether the woman had ties to any terrorist groups. But as the investigation progressed, some officials hinted the woman probably was not a terrorist.
Farida Goolam Mahomed Ahmed pleaded guilty to illegally entering the United States, using an altered passport and making a false statement to a federal agent. She will continue to be held without bail while she awaits her sentencing, set for January 10.
Ahmed faces up to six months in prison for illegally entering the country, up to five years for lying to a federal agent and up to 10 years for altering her passport. She also faces deportation after completing any prison sentence.
Ahmed (48) was arrested on July 19 after being stopped by the US border patrol at the McAllen-Miller International airport in South Texas as she tried to board a plane for New York.
She carried about $7 300 in various currencies and a passport with three pages missing. Border Patrol agents determined Ahmed did not have a valid visa for entry into the country.
Flight itineraries she carried indicated Ahmed traveled from Johannesburg on July 8, via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to London, then to Mexico City on or about July 14.
Ahmed passed easily through checkpoints because South Africans don’t need visas to travel in those countries. She then crossed into the United States illegally by wading across the Rio Grande.
Rene Salinas, a spokesperson for the FBI’s office in San Antonio, which investigated the case, said he could not comment until Ahmed had been sentenced. Ahmed’s attorney did not immediately return calls on Monday. – Sapa-AP