Arlington woman arrested on Loop 820 known to terrorism investigators

08:50 AM CST on Monday, February 15, 2010

By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
teiserer@dallasnews.com

Kimberly "Asma" Al-Homsi, who has repeatedly been the subject of interest by federal anti-terrorism authorities, is expected to face a federal explosives charge after the latest incident in Arlington on Saturday.

She and a man were arrested after authorities found an incendiary device in their vehicle following a police pursuit Saturday evening.

Al-Homsi, 45, and Yasinul Alan Ansari, 18, both remain in the Arlington city jail. Bail has been set at $210,000 for Al-Homsi and $100,000 for Ansari.

ATF Dallas spokesman Thomas Crowley said Sunday that officials plan to file a complaint on the pair in federal court in Fort Worth on Tuesday. "It's an ongoing federal investigation," he said. "We can't put out any description [of the device] until after the complaint is filed."

Al-Homsi also faces one count of evading arrest, two counts of making a terroristic threat and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon. Ansari faces one count of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Arlington police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI are investigating.

The latest incident surrounding Al-Homsi's activities began about 5 p.m. Saturday after a motorist called 911 from State Highway 360 in Arlington to report that someone had pointed a weapon at him in an apparent road-rage incident on West Abram Street.

Police tried to pull the pickup over, but the driver did not stop. The pursuit ended in Fort Worth after the truck carrying the pair hit ice at Rosedale Street near Loop 820. One of the pair told officers there was an "incendiary device" in the truck, authorities have said.

Police closed Loop 820 at Rosedale for nearly seven hours while they investigated. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution. The road reopened about midnight.

Al-Homsi's previous encounters with authorities could best be described as bumbling.

In 2005, Al-Homsi waved a fake grenade at a motorist on Central Expressway during a road-rage incident. She was put on probation for having a hoax bomb.

That probation was revoked after July 2007, when she was arrested after a six-hour police standoff at her Arlington home and accused of having a pipe fashioned into an illegal firearm. Police also found black powder, shotgun shells, pipes and putty.

"I'm not a bad person, but they're trying to make me look like this vicious, evil person who wants to do harm," she told The News after her 2007 arrest.

On several occasions, also in 2007, Al-Homsi and the friend were seen conducting what appeared to be surveillance at Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They were clad in traditional Muslim garb with camouflage pants underneath during at least one of the incidents.

Al-Homsi has also claimed a friendship with Wadih el Hage, a former Arlington resident and former personal secretary of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He received a life sentence for his part in a bombing conspiracy.

Al-Homsi has contended that she was being harassed because of stereotypes about her religion. She has denied having any links to terrorism.

Al-Homsi, now shown in a mug shot with her head shaved bald, is thought to have explosives training, according to a 2007 intelligence briefing from Dallas police.

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