‘Honor killings’ suspect added to FBI’s most-wanted list

A man who remains on the run nearly seven years after officials believe he fatally shot his two teenage daughters in Irving has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, officials announced Thursday.

A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Yaser Abdel Said, a 57-year-old Egypt native accused of killing his daughters on New Year’s Day 2008 after taking them for a ride in his cab under the guise that they were going out to eat.

Amina Said, 18, and Sarah Said, 17, both Lewisville High School students, were found shot to death in a taxi in the parking lot of the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving.

Sarah Said had managed to call 911, alerting Irving police to the shootings, but was unable to give her location.

“Help!” Sarah said during the call. “My dad shot me.”

Irving officers were dispatched to the area of O’Connor Boulevard and Riverside Drive but couldn’t find the girls.

An hour later, the bodies were found after a witness reported seeing a suspicious taxi in the Omni parking lot in the 200 block of East Las Colinas Boulevard. Amina Said was hunched over in the passenger seat; her younger sister’s body was found in the back seat.

Both had been shot multiple times.

Some relatives claimed the girls were victims of an “honor killing” because their father thought they had brought shame to the family. Acquaintances said Yaser Said was an overbearing parent and overly protective of his daughters and their relationships with boys.

In September, The Price of Honor, a documentary about the killings, premiered in Dallas and was intended to renew interest in the case and raise awareness of “honor violence” in the United States.

‘Particularly disturbing’

Irving police obtained a capital murder warrant against Said the day after the slayings. On Aug. 21, 2008, federal authorities issued a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

But his location has remained unknown.

Officials say they hope the reward and the national and international attention brought by adding him to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list will generate information on his whereabouts.

“This homicide is particularly disturbing because the one person whom Amina and Sarah Said should have been able to look to for protection is the very person who we believe took their lives,” Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd said in a news release issued Thursday.

“Yaser Said has been on the run since he committed this heinous act, but we will not give up on our quest to bring him in.”

Last seen in Irving

Said’s last confirmed sighting was in Irving in 2008.

He is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall and 180 pounds, with a medium complexion. He has brown eyes and black hair but may have changed his appearance to conceal his identity, officials said.

He may have sought shelter in Egyptian-affiliated communities in the U.S. or abroad and has known ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the New York City area, Virginia, Canada and Egypt.

He frequents Denny’s and IHOP restaurants, smokes Marlboro Light 100 cigarettes, may work as a taxi driver and loves dogs, particularly German shepherds.

Authorities said he is considered armed and dangerous and reportedly carries a weapon at all times.

Anyone with information on Said’s whereabouts is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at http://tips.fbi.gov.

This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 4:25 PM with the headline "‘Honor killings’ suspect added to FBI’s most-wanted list."