Pawtucket police clarify history of Syrian national taken into custody by ICE

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Pawtucket police are responding to the ICE arrest of a man the federal agency said had a pending case for child molestation and sexual assault charges in the Rhode Island city.

Syrian national Abdul-Khalek Darwich, 56, was arrested by ICE Monday in Boston, and the agency’s website states that he was arrested due to those Pawtucket charges.

Pawtucket police said that a 2018 sexual assault case allegedly involving Darwich was handled by the department, but has since been closed.

Darwich does have a pending case in Rhode Island for obstruction of the judicial system, according to Pawtucket police.

That charge was not listed by ICE in their online statement.