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Amanda Butterfield ReportingOne of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, a major player in insurgent attacks in Iraq, lived in Utah for years and went to college here. He's a close associate of Osama bin Laden and the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. He's a shadowy figure named Shawqi Omar.
Omar is currently being held by coalition forces in Iraq as an enemy combatant. He was arrested in 2004, but his name was made public just today. Omar's Utah connections were uncovered as part of a months-long investigation by NBC News.
One of the places Omar lived was 16th south and Foothill Drive. He married an American woman and they have six children. It's been a long time since Omar lived in Utah, but he and his wife are known to have been here as recently as 2002.
Shawqi Omar was a student at Utah State University in the late 1970's. It's not known how long he was there or what he studied.
Document searches indicate Omar moved around a lot while here in Utah. In September of 1984 he lived at an apartment complex at 5502 South and 3910 West. In July of 1987 he rented an apartment at 350 East and 700 South in Salt Lake. By February of 1988, Omar lived at 3383 Hector Drive in West Valley. In April of 1989, he lived at 1597 Foothill Drive. His last-known address in the Salt Lake valley was apartment A-20 at 954 Olympus Park Drive.
Omar was born in Kuwait, but has dual citizenship in America and Jordan. Before living in Utah, he lived in Minnesota where he served a stint in the National Guard. After living in Utah, Omar moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.
In Iraq, Omar is believed to be behind many of the deadly attacks against American and other coalition soldiers. When he was arrested at his Baghdad home, he was found with several weapons and materials to make Improvised Explosive Devices, better known as roadside bombs. He was also housing several foreign fighters from Jordan.
Investigators say Omar spent hours at Baghdad hotels and used his English skills to search for potential kidnapping victims and try to lure them to his home and into the hands of insurgents. Omar's family denies his terrorist connections.
Just last week a US District Court judge blocked an attempt to put him under the custody of Iraqi government. Omar has not been charged with a crime and has not been able to contact his lawyers. Those lawyers tell the Washington Post Omar is a US citizen and has the right to a lawyer.
