Naif Abdulaziz M. Alfallaj, 34, a Saudi citizen living in Weatherford, Oklahoma, has been arrested and charged with concealing his application to and attendance at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in late 2000. Federal authorities unsealed a three-count indictment today in the Western District of Oklahoma, accusing Alfallaj of visa fraud and making false statements to the FBI during a terrorism probe.
Alfallaj was taken into custody Monday, February 5, without incident by FBI agents. A criminal complaint reveals that 15 of his fingerprints were found on an application for al Qaeda’s al Farooq training camp—a key terrorist facility in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. The document was recovered from an al Qaeda safe house by U.S. military forces. It also lists an emergency contact tied to Alfallaj’s father in Saudi Arabia, linking him directly to the application.
The indictment charges Alfallaj with two counts of visa fraud. Count One alleges he possessed a visa obtained through false statements from March 2012 to present. Count Two states he used that fraudulent visa in October 2016 to enroll in flight training at a private Oklahoma school. The third count accuses him of lying to FBI agents when he denied any association with foreign terrorist organizations during a formal interview.
Alfallaj first entered the U.S. in late 2011 on a nonimmigrant visa based on his wife’s status as a foreign student. On his visa application, he allegedly lied about whether he had ever supported terrorists or terrorist groups. Those omissions, prosecutors say, formed the foundation of the fraud charges now pending against him.
Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester called national security the DOJ’s top priority. “I commend the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force,” he said. FBI Special Agent in Charge Kathryn Peterson emphasized the case appears isolated: “Our investigation to date has not uncovered any indication that the potential threat extends beyond this particular individual.”
If convicted, Alfallaj faces up to ten years in prison on each visa fraud count and up to eight years for the false statement involving international terrorism. Deportation proceedings are expected after criminal resolution. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with support from DHS, Secret Service, TSA, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and multiple local police agencies. Alfallaj is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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