Man jailed over phony military documents
A Fort Worth man was in custody Tuesday after authorities said they found counterfeit military identification documents in his wrecked vehicle behind a Hurst shopping center.
Two firearms and an air rifle were also in the Chevrolet Silverado, Hurst police said.
The discovery prompted authorities to evacuate the shopping center for several hours Tuesday morning and contact federal authorities.
An explosives team and a bomb-sniffing dog were called to inspect the vehicle, but no explosives were found.
Hurst police identified the suspect as Azeez A. Al-Ghaziani, 29, who was in the Hurst Jail. He is accused of tampering with government records, police Lt. Mark Schwobel said.
"A charge relating to altering public documents is one that may be prosecuted on behalf of the state or federally [concurrent jurisdiction] and those decisions are typically made on a case-by-case basis," said Katherine Chaumont, spokeswoman with the FBI's Dallas field office.
Hurst police received a call about a suspicious vehicle at about 5 a.m. in the 700 block of Grapevine Highway.
"When officers arrived, the vehicle looked like it had been in a wreck," Police Chief Steve Moore said.
In the vehicle, officers spotted what looked like military documents, a shotgun, a rifle and an air rifle.
"When we contacted military officials, they advised that the vehicle be swept," police Sgt. Craig Teague said in a telephone interview. "Officers could see weapons."
The sweep was for additional weapons or explosives, Teague said.
