Dejen News (August 3) — An Oregon man who appeared to have East African origin has been charged with kidnapping and sexual assault, the FBI announced.
Negasi Zuberi,29, was apprehended for interstate kidnapping on July 16 after a 45-minute standoff with law enforcement in a Walmart parking lot in Reno, Nevada.
The victim managed to flag down a passing motorist and call 911 for help, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. The complaint revealed that Zuberi has resided in 10 states since 2016, including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada.
Stephanie Shark, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland field office, stated, “Zuberi has been linked to at least four sexual assaults in at least four states. We believe there may be more victims.”
According to the complaint, on July 15, Zuberi picked up the woman in Seattle for prostitution services, approximately 450 miles away from his residence in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He allegedly identified himself as an undercover officer and forcibly placed her into his car using a black and yellow Taser. After handcuffing her arms and restraining her with leg irons, the victim reported seeing a gun in the vehicle.
Following hours of driving, Zuberi placed a black sweatshirt over the victim’s head and took her into the garage of his home, where he had constructed a cinderblock cell. The complaint stated that he locked her inside, claiming he needed to attend to “paperwork,” leaving her trapped.
The FBI is now expanding its search for other potential victims in at least in 10 states, following the escape of the woman from the makeshift cinderblock cell in Oregon, where she was reportedly subjected to horric assault, authorities announced.
