The FBI added to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list an Egyptian sought for the honor killing of his daughters in Texas in 2008.
Yaser Abdel Said, 57, was a cab driver from Lewisville, Texas. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The bulletin says the feds suspect Said could have gone back to Egypt or is hiding in Egyptian communities within the U.S.
On January 1, 2008, Said persuaded his estranged daughters Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17, to visit him on the premise he was going to take them to get some food. “Instead, he allegedly drove them in his taxi cab to a remote location and used a handgun to murder them,” the FBI said. “One of the girls was able to make a 911 call and was heard screaming for help, saying she and her sister were being shot by their father. Their bodies were discovered several hours later in the cab, which was abandoned outside a hotel in Irving, Texas.”
According to the Dallas Morning News, Irving police “said they explored all possible motives for the murders” and cited “previous domestic problems” in the family.
Relatives have said that Said physically abused the teens and threatened to kill them after discovering they had boyfriends. “A documentary film about the murders said Said shared a belief held in some parts of the world that women in a family are the property of men,” said the DMN report.
The documentary released this year, The Price of Honor, argues that Said did not flee to Egypt. It also revealed, through Amina’s own communications, her plan to protect her boyfriend from her dad and her prediction that her father would eventually kill her.
The film also argued that U.S. law enforcement mismanaged the case and needs to “raise the bar” on how honor killings are confronted.
The FBI bulletin on Said’s addition to the Top 10 list, also released in Arabic, doesn’t mention honor killing at all.
“Yaser Abdel Said is wanted for his alleged role in committing a terrible act of violence against his own daughters,” said Diego Rodriguez, special agent in charge of our Dallas Field Office. “Adding him to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list shows our commitment to seek justice for Amina and Sarah.”
“We believe that the combination of publicity, the significant reward, and the team of experienced investigators working the case from the Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force and the Irving Police Department will result in Said’s arrest,” he said.
“In addition to Egypt and Canada, investigators believe Said has ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the New York City area,” the bulletin states. “He frequents diners—including Denny’s and IHOP restaurants—smokes Marlboro Lights 100s cigarettes, and loves dogs, especially tan- and black-colored German Shepherds. He may be working as a taxi driver.”
Special Agent Gil Balli, a task force supervisor who is leading the investigation, said because of the “cold-blooded” nature of the slayings the FBI need “to catch this individual and prevent him from harming anyone else.”
Said becomes the 504th person added to the Ten Most Wanted list since its inception in 1950.
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