Islamic leader charged with child-sex crimes involving 4 minors, Texas sheriff says

An Islamic religious leader was arrested on Friday in Fort Bend, Texas, after he was accused of child-sex crimes, deputies said in a news release.

Mohamed Omar Ali, 59, a native of Somali, has been charged with three counts of indecency with a child and one count of sexual assault of a child, the release noted.

Fort Bend County officials opened an investigation into Ali after “allegations of Ali reportedly abusing children began in September 2019,” ABC-13 reported.

Deputies say the four victims were minors at the time of the assault, which began in 2013. Because Ali’s status as an “Imam in the Islamic community (who) teaches throughout Texas and the country,” deputies say they think more victims exist.

“This is sickening and an abuse of power,” Sheriff Troy Nehls in the release. “If your children have had contact with this man, please talk to them. Victims’ identities will be protected.”

Ali is being held in the Fort Bend County jail on $125,000 bonds, while “immigration has also placed a hold on Ali,” authorities said.