Suburban man caught with Molotov cocktails taken into ICE custody, faces federal charges

A suburban man arrested after a police search found Molotov cocktails in his backpack was released on electronic monitoring — but taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents two days later.

Hamed Alsaidi, 31, was arrested Aug. 1 after Mokena police officers searched him and found eight glass bottles filled with an ignitable liquid, with cloth stuffed into the bottle openings, according to Mokena Police Chief Brian Benton.

Inside the backpack was a map of Orland Park and the word “mosque” written on it.

Officers initially found Alsaidi lurking at a gas station at 187th Street and Wolf Road, Benton said. Officers gave him a ride to a nearby convenience store. A few hours later, officers once again spotted Alsaidi walking in the middle of 191st Street near LaGrange Road. Alsaidi gave officers a false name and was taken into custody and searched. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and obstructing a peace officer.

Alsaidi, of Oak Forest, appeared at a detention hearing Aug. 2, when Will County Judge Theodore Jarz granted his pretrial release with electronic monitoring under the SAFE-T Act, after determining that conditions could mitigate the risks of his release.

He was taken into ICE custody two days later, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Officials said Alsaidi, an immigrant from Jordan, illegally entered the U.S. through California in March 2024.

Federal officials said ICE lodged a detainer with Will County on the day Alsaidi was arrested by Mokena police. But instead of honoring the detainer, county officials released him Aug. 2 without notifying ICE.

Alsaidi was charged Monday in federal court with felony unlawful possession of a weapon and obstructing identification, according to federal prosecutors.