Nationwide search for accused South Bass Island rapist includes US Customs

The hunt continued Monday for Sabah Al-Talaqani, with additional information coming from the Ottawa County Prosecutor.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Al-Talaqani, who failed to appear in court after posting a $500,000 cash bond on rape and other charges.

The search for Al-Talaqani includes assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, because of the possibility he'd flee the country.

“There’s no evidence to suggest it, but he does live in Detroit. Given the proximity to the Canadian border, as well as the fact of the warrant’s nationwide status, any time somebody fails to appear for a trial, essentially becoming a fugitive, one potential (intention) may be to get outside the United States, otherwise there wouldn’t be this warrant," said Ottawa County Prosecutor James Vaneerten.

"Customs and Border Patrol have additional investigative abilities, above and beyond what we have, and given the proximity to being across the (Detroit) River, and Canada, to his home address, obviously we’ve been at least slightly concerned about that,” he said.

Vaneerten confirmed that Al-Talaqani is a citizen of the United States, having been born in the Seattle area.

Al-Talaqani had GPS monitoring after posting bond.

“A tamper report was received by the court, at which point we began looking for him and discovered that he was not at his residence and in fact had cut the unit off,” Vaneerten said. “We are working with the U.S. Marshals Violent and Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, the Ottawa County Major Crimes Unit as well as the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office are all agencies assisting in tracking down Mr. Al-Talaqani.”

Al-Talaqani, 27, was charged with rape, kidnapping, felonious assault and failure to appear for a jury trial related to an incident on South Bass Island on July 21, 2023. His whereabouts are unknown, but his last known address is in Detroit.

“A little more than a year ago, Mr. Talaqani was visiting South Bass Island, where he met with a woman, and went back to her place, where he allegedly violently raped her, utilizing a knife and then left the scene,” Vaneerten previously said.

According to Vaneerten, Al-Talaqani has known connections in Michigan, Washington, Ohio, Florida and Georgia.

“We’re still working a few leads, but at this point, nothing has panned out,” Vaneerten said on Monday.

Anyone with information about Al-Talaqani's location is asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office at 419-734-4404 or the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office at 419-734-6845. Tips can also be emailed to prosecutor@co.ottawa.oh.us. The identity of anyone providing information will remain anonymous.

rlapointe@gannett.com

419-332-2674

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Nationwide search for accused South Bass Island rapist includes US Customs