Islam Said, the 32-year-old son of capital murder suspect Yaser Said, pleaded guilty Tuesday to helping his father evade capture for more than 12 years.
Yaser Said, of Lewisville, allegedly took his daughters Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17, for a ride in his taxicab on Jan. 1, 2008, under the guise of taking them to get something to eat, according to a news release from the FBI. He drove them to Irving, where he allegedly fatally shot both girls inside the taxicab. Said had been on the run since, and was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2014. He was captured in August 2020 in Justin by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and is in state custody.
His son, Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conceal a person from arrest, one count of concealing a person from arrest and one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.
“Islam Said prioritized the whims of his father, an alleged killer, over justice for his own sisters. Thanks to the dogged work of the FBI and its law enforcement partners, however, Mr. Said’s efforts were ultimately in vain,” Shah said. “We are grateful to the many agents and officers who worked to apprehend Mr. Said, along with his father and uncle. Sarah and Amina deserve justice.”
In plea papers, Mr. Said admitted to sheltering his father from arrest.
“Islam Said made it possible for his father, Yaser Said, to evade justice for the brutal murder of his daughters for more than a decade,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “Along with our partners, the FBI is thankful for the dedication and relentless pursuit that led to the capture of Amina and Sarah’s killer and those that provided him harbor.”
According to the news release from Shah’s office, Islam Said conspired with his uncle, Yassein Said, to harbor Yaser in an apartment in Bedford. A maintenance worker spotted Yaser on Aug. 14, 2017 at the apartment and reported the sighting to the FBI. An agent was dispatched to interview Islam, but he refused to cooperate and moved his father to a home in Justin that belonged to his cousin. On Aug. 25, 2020, FBI agents observed Islam and his uncle delivery grocery bags to the Justin home and then dispose of trash from the home at a shopping center 20 miles away.
Islam now faces up to 30 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30. His uncle, Yassein Said, is set for trial on Feb. 1.
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