Federal authorities reportedly believe Saudi Arabia helped one of its citizens — who was charged in the fatal hit-and-run of a 15-year-old Oregon girl — obtain a passport and flee the United States.
Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah was arrested in August 2016 and indicted for first-degree manslaughter, hit-and-run, reckless endangerment and reckless driving after allegedly killing Fallon Smart in Portland.
On Sept. 11, 2016, Noorah’s $100,000 bond was posted by the consulate of Saudi Arabia, according to court records, and in early June 2017, he removed his monitoring device and vanished. His whereabouts were thought to be unknown until U.S. officials learned from the Saudi government he had returned to the Kingdom, The Oregonian reported Sunday.
“We’re doing everything we can to get him back,” supervisory U.S. Marshal Eric Wahlstrom told The Oregonian. The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Saudi Arabia.
Noorah had been a student in Portland since 2014 and had been receiving just over $1,800-a-month as a stipend from the Saudi government for living expenses, according to the newspaper. He is from Jeddah and was housed by a host mother.- READ MORE