A local man has been charged with acting as an agent of the Iraqi Intelligence Service under the government of Saddam Hussein, United States Attorney Stephen J. Murphy announced today.

Murphy was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, FBI Special Agent in Charge.

Najib Shemami, 58, of Sterling Heights, was charged by a federal grand jury in a four-count indictment. The indictment alleges that between March 2002 and early 2003, Shemami conspired with others to act as an agent of the Government of Iraq without notification to the Attorney General of the United States, as required by law. The indictment alleges that Shemami traveled from Michigan to Iraq on several occasions and met with officers of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (“IIS”) before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by coalition forces. During these meetings, the indictment alleges, Shemami reported information relating to the activities of Iraqi expatriates in the United States, potential candidates for political office in Iraq, and U.S. and Turkish military activities he had observed in Turkey before the U.S. entry into Iraq in 2003.

United States Attorney Murphy stated, "Espionage is a federal crime that strikes at the heart of our Nation's security. Charges such as today's, that involve the alleged gathering of intelligence information on our soil for a hostile power, will be vigorously pursued by my office. We are fortunate that, in this case, the hostile foreign government no longer exists, but the alleged crime -- and the threat it represented -- is nonetheless grave."

Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge, FBI advised “Protecting the United States against foreign intelligence operations is a top priority of the FBI. Our counterintelligence agents and joint terrorism task force personnel will continue their efforts to identify these individuals involved in espionage against our country.”

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI.