Arrest in mayoral death threat

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib

By Charles Sercombe
A Canadian man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot Mayor Amer Ghalib.
According to the mayor and the police department, a man in Vancouver has been arrested and faces charges in Canada, and likely will in the U.S. as well.
The FBI assisted Hamtramck investigators in tracking down the suspect. No other details were released about the man.
Mayor Ghalib had said a few weeks ago that he receives many threats but that this one, in particular, seemed serious enough to have the police department intervene.
On his Facebook page, Ghalib said:
“Many thanks to all the parties that accomplished the task, and we hope that through the investigations we will find out the motives and those behind this terrorist threat.”
In recent months, authorities have reported a marked increase in threats to both Jewish and Muslim people.
Hamtramck came under national and international attention for becoming a city mostly populated by those of the Muslim faith, and one where the mayor and city council are all Muslim.
Hamtramck also came under the spotlight when the mayor and city council banned the display of pride flags on public property, namely city flagpoles – something that had been allowed before under the prior administration.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is openly gay, criticized that action, calling it a “national embarrassment.”

Posted Feb. 16, 2024