A recent arrest has made headlines after law enforcement authorities in New York successfully identified and apprehended an armed robbery suspect more than a year after the crime — thanks to a pair of colorful underwear he wore during the heist.
The robbery, which took place on September 14, 2022, at a tobacco shop in Queens, involved three masked assailants who brandished firearms and made off with $3,000 in cash, $1,000 worth of CBD and marijuana product, and four cellphones.
Following the incident, surveillance videos were disseminated through the media, showcasing one of the robbers wearing eye-catching briefs with a large white letter “R” and the year “1990” in yellow.
The breakthrough in the case came from an anonymous tipster who provided the Instagram handle of the suspect sporting the distinctive underwear.
This tipster also informed the police that the robbers had attempted to sell the stolen merchandise at another location in Queens.
Detectives followed up on this lead and reviewed video footage from the potential sale location, where they identified the suspect without his mask and confirmed that he was indeed the sagging robber.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Fathy Hussein, was subsequently arrested at his residence in Queens on the morning of November 29 by members of a joint task force composed of authorities from the NYPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
Authorities charged Hussein with Hobbs Act robbery, and he is currently awaiting arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn. The other two robbery suspects remain at large.
The criminal complaint against Hussein outlined the details of the robbery, stating that while still on probation for a weapons offense, he participated in the violent gunpoint robbery.
During the incident, Hussein ran behind the checkout counter, emptied the cash register and fled the scene with his accomplices.
“Police identified the suspect based on his Instagram account, the video from the merchandise sale spot, and photos from prior arrests,” a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office said.
