A man accused in a caught-on-camera assault on right-wing provocateur Jake Long is an Iraqi national whom federal officials described as a “criminal illegal alien” with a prior murder conviction in Detroit.
Abbas Abdoush, 57, came to the United States from Iraq in 1992, but later lost his legal status after he was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999 for deliberately driving a borrowed van into a woman in Detroit the previous year, according to court records reviewed by the Detroit News.
Abdoush served more than 15 years in prison and was ordered removed from the United States in June 2022, according to ICE.
He was arrested Aug. 2 at the annual Arbaeen celebration in Dearborn, a city with a large Muslim population, after allegedly attacking Lang as the controversial activist used a bullhorn on the sidewalk to shout anti-immigrant and pro-ICE remarks.
“We support ICE. We do not want these illegal immigrants here. … I speak the name of Jesus,” Lang is heard saying in video from the event.
A separate clip shows a man striking Lang from behind before several others chased him through a parking lot, beat him and threw rocks at him, until an officer placed him in a patrol car and ordered the crowd to break up, the outlet reported.
Abdoush was taken into custody along with two 25-year-old men, one from Detroit and the other from Dearborn.
ICE detained Abdoush, whom the agency called a “criminal illegal alien from Iraq,” after he was released from local police custody on Aug. 5.
“Abdoush was legally admitted to the United States in 1992 and eventually became an [Lawful Permanent Resident]. He later violated the terms of that legal admission following a 1999 conviction for murder,” the agency said in a statement, noting he was ordered removed from the US in June 2022.
“He remains in ICE custody at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan,” ICE said Wednesday. “He will receive full due process.”
It was not immediately known if he had retained a lawyer.
Lang was involved in another clash between groups of protesters in Dearborn last year, after which he threatened the city, mayor and police chief with a lawsuit alleging they failed to provide adequate protection.
He also took part in the Jan. 6 US Capitol riots and served four years in prison for his role in the attack. In March, he was accused of threatening a Capitol Police officer during a March event marking five years since the civil unrest in Washington, DC.
Lang sought a US Senate seat in Florida — pledging to “ban Islam” as his first act in office if elected — but ended his candidacy after he failed to qualify for the 2026 Republican primary.
His antics have earned him strong disdain among some members of the Muslim community — including the ISIS-inspired teen bombing suspects arrested during a protest outside Gracie Mansion in April — who mused about blowing lang “in half” in dashcam footage on their way to the demonstration.
