US murder suspect arrested in Kenya after year-long manhunt

A 20-year-old American murder suspect who had been on the run for over a year has been arrested in Kenya and deported to the United States, where he is set to face multiple felony charges, including robbery and murder.

Salman Haji, who fled the U.S. shortly after a violent crime spree in January 2024, was arrested in Kenya following a coordinated international manhunt involving Kenyan authorities, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and law enforcement agencies in Washington state.

Haji was booked into King County Jail in Seattle on Saturday, with prosecutors describing him as a flight risk and securing a $5 million (approx. Ksh.645 million) bail.

According to U.S. investigators, Haji’s alleged rampage began on the morning of January 26, 2024, when he reportedly staged a minor traffic accident to carjack a woman’s white Porsche in Des Moines, Washington. He is accused of brandishing a firearm, stealing her vehicle and bank cards, and speeding off.

Shortly after, surveillance footage placed him and an alleged accomplice at a grocery store in Normandy Park, attempting to use the stolen cards.

Within the hour, the duo were spotted at a Tukwila Costco, where Haji allegedly tried to snatch a woman’s handbag. Her 67-year-old sister resisted, and police say Haji shot and killed the elderly woman before fleeing the scene.

The stolen Porsche was later found abandoned in SeaTac, but Haji had vanished — reportedly flying out of the country days later.

"He fled the country shortly after that incident," Douglas Wagoner, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, told American media outlets.

He explained that the suspect’s eventual arrest "was a coordination between Tukwila Police Department investigators, the FBI and actually the Kenyan government, who provided some effective partnership."

Haji’s arraignment is set for next week. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

His alleged co-conspirator, Ilyiss Abdi, was arrested last year and has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for October.