{"id":3300,"date":"2026-06-17T14:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3300"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:39:10","slug":"ice-arrests-foreign-terrorist-leader-living-illegally-in-mooresville-allegedly-held-his-wife-hostage-dhs-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3300","title":{"rendered":"ICE arrests foreign terrorist leader living illegally in Mooresville, allegedly held his wife hostage: DHS"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) \u2014 An alleged member of two terrorist organizations who was holding his wife hostage has been arrested after a traffic stop in Mooresville, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>

Read more Charlotte eyes 2031 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup hosting bid<\/a><\/p>\n

On June 5, local and federal law enforcement agencies conducted a traffic stop on Felipe Aquilla, aka \u201cDon,\u201d who is an alleged criminal living in the United States illegally. Officials said Aquilla has an international warrant from his home country, Brazil, for charges of criminal association and extortion.<\/p>\n

Aquilla led officers on a pursuit that ended when he crashed into stopped traffic. He then allegedly ran before being arrested shortly after. Aquilla\u2019s car was searched, where cell phones, laptops, money, and a 9mm handgun were found. <\/p>\n

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Evidence found in Aquilla\u2019s vehicle; credit: Department of Homeland Security<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to DHS, Aquilla previously served as the commander of Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, which are foreign terrorist organizations. Law enforcement determined that he was holding his own wife hostage as he was preparing to flee to Mexico, which she later confirmed in an interview with authorities. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis guy is no friend of America, nor our citizens, nor anybody else in this country,\u201d said Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell. \u201cHe didn\u2019t know we were actively looking for him, but once he seen a car, he got uncomfortable. And of course, we were already in position to do the arrest.\u201d<\/p>

Read more ICE arrests foreign terrorist leader living illegally in Mooresville, allegedly held his wife hostage: DHS<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Dudley with InSight Crime is an expert on gang activity in South America. He says the two organizations Aquilla is accused of leading have a minimal presence in the United States, but believes he might have been in the US to build cover.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey traffic drugs. They are involved in human trafficking, human smuggling, contraband, local drug peddling, etc. The United States has a big appetite for drugs. There is a lot of money laundering that happens in the United States,\u201d said Dudley. <\/p>\n

Aquilla was taken to the Iredell County jail, where he faces a state felony charge of fleeing to elude arrest. Homeland Security Investigations is also pursuing charges of an alien in possession of a firearm and kidnapping. Officials said ICE has lodged a detainer on Aquilla.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis arrest demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI to protect our communities from dangerous international criminals,\u201d\u00a0Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of HSI in North and South Carolina, said.\u00a0\u201cBy removing a known leader of violent foreign terrorist organizations wanted for serious crimes including criminal association and extortion\u2014we have prevented further harm to innocent people here and abroad. Our agents, working alongside dedicated state and local law enforcement partners, acted swiftly and decisively to ensure this individual will no longer threaten the safety of our neighborhoods. HSI will continue to pursue those who endanger our communities and bring them to justice.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Grand jury indicts woman accused of shooting two lawyers outside Wake County Courthouse, records show<\/a><\/p>\n

It is unknown where and when Aquilla first entered the United States. <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aquilla has an international warrant from his home country, Brazil, for charges of criminal association and extortion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nICE arrests foreign terrorist leader living illegally in Mooresville, allegedly held his wife hostage: DHS - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3300\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ICE arrests foreign terrorist leader living illegally in Mooresville, allegedly held his wife hostage: DHS - 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