AT his initial appearance in federal court, MD Ikbal, an illegal alien, pled not guilty to the charge of illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy scheduled a detention hearing for July 19, at 1 p.m., and a jury trial for Sept. 12 at 10 a.m.
At the hearing, court-appointed defense attorney David Banes waived the reading of the charge against his client and the reading of his rights.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Flores Jr. appeared for the federal government.
On June 28, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Ikbal on the charge of “illegal alien in possession of a firearm.”
According to the indictment, on or about May 5, 2022, Ikbal “then being an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, did unlawfully, willfully, and knowingly possess a firearm, to wit, a .40 caliber handgun, Glock model 22, serial number WHZ254, in and affecting interstate commerce.”
An arrest warrant was issued against Ikbal and it was executed on June 13, 2022.
Ikbal also has pending criminal charges in the CNMI Superior Court. No other additional information about the defendant was available as of press time Thursday evening.
