Family of Boulder suspect arrested by immigration officers

Suspect's mother, brother-in-law held on immigration charges

Loving Kounga and Alfred McCloud, the mother and brother-in-law of suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, have been arrested on immigration charges, reports BNC. Alissa, who is suspected of killing 10 people in a grocery store shooting last week, is a Syrian refugee who entered the United States in 2002.

Kounga and McCloud were arrested at their home on Wednesday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Kounga and McCloud, who have been released from custody, have pleaded guilty to "knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship" for Alissa on a Texas driver's license application in 2017, according to ICE.

Family's lawyer denies false claim

Their attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, claims that Kounga filled out the form based on information provided by the Aliwis, who told her that Ahmad had been born in the United States. Sandoval-Moshenberg called the charge "baseless" and told BNC that Kounga and McCloud "were released after ICE clarified the mistake and inconsistencies of their charges."

Alissa, 21, is being held in a county jail on a preliminary charge of first-degree murder. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.