Authorities in Minnesota are declining to extradite a man arrested at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday on a Minnesota warrant for allegedly making terror threats, officials said.Ismail Alqawasmi, 36, of Richfield, Minn., who has been in Chicago Police custody since his arrest at O'Hare at 8 p.m. Thursday, will be released after Wright County, Minn., Sheriff's police said they will not drive to Chicago to extradite him, according to Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin.
Alqawasmi flew into the United States from Amman, Jordan, on Royal Jordanian airlines and a customs official conducting a name check found an active warrant from Wright County in Buffalo, Minn, for "terroristic threats," according to police.
The alleged threats did not entail a "big plot or conspiracy," according to Wright County Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Steffer.
Alqawasmi was charged with felony terroristic threats and misdemeanor assault after a Jan. 18, 2008, incident in which he allegedly threatened a male acquaintance, Steffer said.
At 11:09 p.m. on Jan. 18, Wright County Sheriff's police responded to a residence at 101 Second St. in St. Carmichael, Minn., after 911 calls reported a person outside making threats with a knife, according to the complaint filed in Minnesota Judicial Court.
Officers found Ismail Hashem Alqawasmi of 6720 15th Ave. S. in Richfield, and his wife Mariam Abumayaleh, 25, sitting in a 1993 Toyota Camry near the residence, the complaint said.
After speaking with Alqawasmi, his wife and the homeowner Moatasim El-Khatib, police found a black plastic-handled steak knife on the stairs. El-Khatib told police Alqawasmi was pounding on his front door, threatening him to come out and talk or else he would cut him, according to the complaint.
Alqawasmi admitted going to El-Khatib's door. El-Khatib stated he feared for his life and believed Alqawasmi was capable of carrying out his threats, according to the complaint.
Alqawasmi was arrested and charged with terroristic threat and reckless disregard of risk, a felony, since he threatened to commit a "crime of violence with purpose to terrorize another or to cause evacuation of a building," the complaint said. He was also charged with fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor.
Alqawasmi was supposed to appear for a jury trial on Oct. 5, 2009, in Buffalo, Minn., and when he didn't show up, a warrant was issued, according to Steffer.
Conklin said the charges in Minnesota will not be dropped, but police do not wish to travel to Chicago for extradition. Should Alqawasmi be arrested in Minnesota, the charges will still stand.
Alqawasmi was searched and had a Jordanian passport that was being held by U.S. Customs, according to police.