A smoke shop robber who initially fled the New York Police Department (NYPD) was recently arrested after authorities noticed the unusual design of his underwear that had been sticking out of his pants, as seen in surveillance footage.
In a recently unsealed criminal complaint, federal prosecutors identified the robber as 30-year-old Fathy Hussein, accused of participating in a violent robbery while being on probation for a weapons violation, as reported by the Blaze.
Hussein and two other men reportedly arrived at the smoke shop around 6 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2022. The trio all wore masks as they exited a black Mazda 3 Sedan and proceeded to enter the shop. Two of the men immediately began pointing their weapons at the store employees and customers, while Hussein ran behind the checkout counter and stole money from the register.
EDNY today, US v. Fathy Hussein, Complaint photo of Sept 14, 2023 armed robbery of Queens tobacco shop – the Complaint cites as evidence the defendant's "distinctive multicolor underwear." Arrested this morning; presentment this afternoon. #InnerCityPressEDNYbeat pic.twitter.com/SUp4qhLbHM
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) November 22, 2023
The three men then fled the scene, having stolen about $3,000 in cash, $1,000 in drug products and four cell phones.
To the trio’s misfortune, the store’s footage was able to catch all three men on camera as they began to rob the place. The three men were seen wearing unusual clothing.
In Hussein’s case, the 30-year-old was seen wearing dark green pants and colorful underwear containing a large white “R” letter, along with yellow text reading “1990.”
It appears Hussein made a grave mistake by not changing his appearance. Days later, an anonymous tipster contacted police and informed them that the 30-year-old had been selling the stolen products in a nearby area in Queens, New York, according to prosecutors.
The tipster told police of the distinctive underwear he saw Hussein wearing, prompting police to take a look at the smoke shop’s security footage, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Upon reviewing the store’s footage, police were able to confirm that the description given to them by the tipster of Hussein was, after all, accurate because of the unique underwear he was wearing in both instances.
The 30-year-old was later arrested and is currently awaiting his arraignment at the Brooklyn Federal Court, per the Blaze.
To date, Hussein is the only one in the trio who has been caught by the NYPD.
