Bloomington fugitive extradited from United Arab Emirates on child pornography charges
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors say a 30-year-old Bloomington fugitive is in custody on child pornography charges after being extradited from overseas.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger of the District of Minnesota announced the arrest and extradition of Ibrahim Ghassan Sleyman. He now faces charges of production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, enticement of a minor, transfer of obscene material to a minor and identity theft.
According to prosecutors, Sleyman used Snapchat and other messaging apps to solicit sexually explicit material and sex acts from minors, with some of the victims as young as 9 years old. The alleged crimes are said to have occurred between October 2020 and September 2022.
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Sleyman fled to the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 6, 2022 when he became aware of an ongoing investigation, officials said.
According to officials, the Department of Justice and State Department secured Sleyman's extradition from the UAE with assistance from the UAE's Ministry of Interior.
When Sleyman arrived back in the U.S. on Sept. 15, 2023, he was taken into federal custody by the FBI. He made his initial court appearance on Monday.
Several victims have already been identified by law enforcement, but they are still working to confirm the identities of additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.
