Three of Turnpike 5 released from Trumbull jail after posting bond

Staff report

WARREN

Three of the five men arrested during a traffic stop on the Ohio Turnpike in Braceville Township on Nov. 12 for purportedly having tools used to make fake credit and identification cards have been released from the Trumbull County Jail.

Said S. Abu, 24, of Columbus was released Monday afternoon; Mohamed A. Mahamoud, 26, of Columbus, was released just after midnight Wednesday; and Zakaria O. Warsame, 35, of Columbus was released at 2:40 p.m. Thursday. All were released after posting $25,000 bond.

Mohammeddeq M. Hassan, 27, of Tukwila, Wash., and Jibril M. Abdiselam, 24, of Seattle, remained in the jail Friday morning. Most of the men also had addresses in Seattle, according to jail records.

Felony criminal charges relating to possessing criminal tools and other purported offenses have been bound over from Newton Falls Municipal Court to a Trumbull County grand jury for possible indictment, which can take a couple of months or more.

A trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said during a hearing last week the driver of the car committed two driving violations, resulting in a traffic stop.

The trooper then smelled raw marijuana, and a search was conducted, resulting in finding a scanner, embosser and other tools used to make fake cards; marijuana also was found.

Atty. A. Joseph Fritz, Newton Falls prosecutor, said at least three of the five men appear to be U.S. citizens and not “foreign nationals,” as reported by some news media last week.

Todd Werth, who leads the Youngstown FBI office, said last week the agency is aware of the five men because the agency works daily with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, but he declined to comment further.