Texas Man Charged With Attacking Trans Woman; FBI Seeks Other Victims

Author: Trudy Ring

The FBI’s Houston Field Office has put out a call for other people who may have been victimized by a man who’s in custody on charges of assaulting a transgender woman he met on Grindr.

Salih Alhemoud, 28, of Houston, was formally charged in October with committing a hate crime, kidnapping, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

He is accused of setting up a date with the trans woman August 29 via Grindr and then, upon arriving at her apartment, pulling a gun on her and demanding money and possessions. Authorities allege that when she could not provide any cash, he “hit her with his pistol and stomped her on the face and chest,” the press release says.

“He also allegedly told her she was going to die and made statements such as ‘my religion considers you a demon,’ and that she ‘was a demon like the others, all you trans people,’ among other homosexual and transgender slurs,” the release continues.

The FBI and Houston Police Department are conducting the investigation together, and they said Alhemoud is suspected of committing additional, similar crimes. They ask that anyone who was a victim or knows of one call the FBI Houston Field Office at (713) 693-5000.

Alhemoud is still jailed in advance of further court proceedings because a hearing determined he is a danger to the community. If he is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Trudy Ring