News

Egyptian-American Who Killed His Daughters Arrested After 12 Years: FBI

Egyptian-American Who Killed His Daughters Arrested After 12 Years: FBI

Egyptian-American Yaser Abdel Said, one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, has been arrested in the United States, 12 years after he killed his two teenage daughters.

According to a press release from the FBI, Said “was taken into custody without incident today in Justin, Texas, by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office”.

“The FBI-led Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force has worked tirelessly to find Yaser Abdel Said. These experienced investigators never gave up on their quest to find him and pledged to never forget the young victims in this case,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno in the press release.

Earlier in August, a social media campaign was launched to mobilise the Egyptian public in the search for Said, who is accused of killing his two daughters 18-year-old Amina and 17-year-old Sarah.

At the time, it was believed Said may have fled from the United States to Egypt sometime between the murder on New Year’s Day in 2008 and now. Information received by the FBI and other authorities had indicated he may have managed to flee the United States for Egypt in recent years.

Left to right: Amina and Sarah when they were younger

Speaking to Egyptian Streets, Merhan Keller, a women’s rights activist who started the recent social media campaign in Egypt ‘Amina and Sarah’ (أمينة وسارة), said the support shown by people made her believe he would one day be caught, whether it was in Egypt or the United States of America.

“I can’t be happier and I knew in my heart that he would be caught if people came together in solidarity and that’s exactly what happened,” said Keller.

“We need authorities to enforce laws. However, as a community, we have enormous unused power and now is the time to acknowledge it and put it to good use. We can protect each other, if only we believe in ourselves and each other.”

It remains unclear how the FBI and local US authorities were able to finally locate and capture Said after 12 years. Said was taken into custody in Texas, the same state where he is accused of murdering his two daughters, but it has not been confirmed whether he had been hiding in Texas for the past 12 years. The FBI has also not revealed whether renewed attention, sparked by the social media campaign in Egypt, helped locate him.

Find out more about who Yaser Abdel Said is in our in-depth report here.

Egypt Police Arrest Accused Rapist Amir Zayed, Contact Interpol to Capture Fugitives
7 Alleged Fairmont Gang Rapists Have Fled Egypt: Public Prosecution


Subscribe to our newsletter


More in News

Egypt Plans to Regulate and Reduce Essential Commodities Prices

Shereif Barakat4 October 2023

President Sisi Declares His Running for Third Presidential Term

Egyptian Streets3 October 2023

Egypt Becomes First Ever Arab Champion in Padel Tennis

Egyptian Streets3 October 2023

At Least 38 Injured in Ismailia Security Directorate Fire

Marina Makary2 October 2023

Madbouly: Egypt Spent EGP 9.4 Trillion on ‘Life-Improving’ Projects Since 2014

Egyptian Streets30 September 2023

Outrage as France Bans Athletes Wearing Headscarves at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

Egyptian Streets29 September 2023

Egyptian-German Team Unearths Storage Chambers in Pyramid of King Sahure

Muhammed Kotb29 September 2023

Cairo University Employee Shot Dead at the Hands of her Former Partner

Egyptian Streets28 September 2023