Sister says man who arrived at Offutt heavily armed 'had zero intentions' of harm
https://www.omaha.com/news/military/sister-says-man-who-arrived-at-offutt-heavily-armed-had/article_f98e6536-fb98-5fbb-a2e0-ba7cc92ccf7b.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190616191240/https://www.omaha.com/news/military/sister-says-man-who-arrived-at-offutt-heavily-armed-had/article_f98e6536-fb98-5fbb-a2e0-ba7cc92ccf7b.html
By Cindy Gonzalez / World-Herald staff writer Jun 16, 2019 Updated 5 hrs ago
A family member and friends on Saturday stood up for the Nebraska-reared Marine who was arrested after he tried to enter Offutt Air Force Base with heavy firepower in his pickup.
Ali Al-Kazahg’s sister and two buddies said they know the 22-year-old Marine as a gun buff who was a bit of a showoff but responsible with his weapons.
“I truly believe my brother had zero intentions of hurting someone,” said Nedhal Al-kazahy, 20, who was a page in the Nebraska Legislature and now is a camp counselor for kids in foster care.
Al-kazahy, of Lincoln, told The World-Herald that her brother has been her best friend and protector as they navigated the Nebraska foster care system and launched their respective careers.
They have different last names, she said, because the spelling is inaccurate on her brother’s birth certificate.
She and two of her brother’s friends, Trevor Reilly and Colton Wurst, presented a different version of Al-Kazahg than portrayed by a “be on the lookout” bulletin that had been circulated across Nebraska by a coalition of federal, state and local agencies tasked with monitoring security threats.
The bulletin, issued May 24 by the Nebraska Information and Analysis Center, said Al-Kazahg told another Marine that he would “shoot up the battalion, starting at the barracks,” if he were disciplined for certain misconduct. According to the bulletin, he also mentioned specific Marines he wanted to target and had previously “shown various people large amounts of cash” and an online order he had placed for body armor, magazines, weapons parts, holsters and medical supplies, all to be shipped to a Nebraska address.
The Nebraska Marine’s sister and friends said they’ve not talked to Al-Kazahg since he’s been in custody at Marine Corps Base Hawaii near Honolulu.
He was arrested May 31 at Offutt’s StratCom gate after presenting his military identification. A security guard who checked credentials saw that the name was on the law enforcement bulletin.
Al-Kazahg’s pickup was searched and agents found two semi-automatic rifles, a pistol, a silencer, a bump stock, a vest with body armor and a case of ammunition.
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