NE Cobb Man Arrested in Twin's Killing

A Northeast Cobb man was arrested Thursday and charged with murder in the slaying of his twin brother four years ago in Columbia, MD.

Wael Ali, 23, was picked up at his home on St. Simons Drive about 4:30 a.m. by deputies and officers from Howard County, MD.

“This arrest demonstrates that our detectives never give up on a case,” Howard County Police Chief William McMahon said in a press release. “Our cold case unit has continued this investigation to ensure that justice would be served in this tragic murder.”

Ali's arrest as a fugitive from justice, pending his extradition to Maryland on the murder charge, came nine days after he was arrested during a traffic stop in Smyrna at Old Concord Road and Charlotte Circle.

Early Sept. 6, Cobb County jail booking records show, Ali was pulled over for making an improper lane change. The officer reported finding marijuana in the vehicle, adding a charge of misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of the drug.

Ali spent a couple of hours in custody before being released on $800 bail.

He's being held at the without bond in the murder case.

On Aug. 27, 2007, the body of Wasel Ali, Wael Ali’s twin, was discovered on a dirt path in the woods behind the 12000 block of Green Meadow Drive in Columbia.

An autopsy showed he died from a neck injury.

Howard County police said the brothers were involved in a scheme to steal clothes from . Wasel Ali was fired from the Banana Republic after the scheme was discovered.

The Ali family reported Wasel missing Aug. 22, 2007, the same day he admitted to stealing nearly $1,300 in clothing from the store, according to a 2007 report in the Baltimore Sun.

Police said Thursday that he implicated his twin during that confession.

The brothers also were charged with possession of a stolen handgun and impersonating police officers in Arlington, VA, five days before Wasel’s disappearance.

The twins served in the Army Reserve but were discharged after their arrest on a charge of impersonating military police, according to the Sun.

Wael Ali told the Sun in 2007 that the media was focusing too much on his brother’s criminal record. “No matter what people say he's done, nobody deserves to be murdered.”

The brothers were last seen together on surveillance video inside the Columbia mall around 6:45 p.m. Aug. 22 but walked in opposite directions and exited at opposite ends of the building, police said.

Police said Wael Ali’s whereabouts are unaccounted for in the 25 minutes after the two left the mall until he called a friend, distraught and saying his brother was missing.

He drove to a friend’s house and, witnesses reported, was “frantic,” “in a panic” and “crying” about his brother’s disappearance, Howard County police said.

Wael Ali asked friends to help him look for his brother but told them he had searched the area where the body later was found, police said.

After the discovery of the body, detectives launched a homicide investigation that over the years has included numerous interviews and re-interviews, as well as reviews of cellphone records, surveillance videos and other evidence.

Howard County police officials said they expect Ali to be extradited to Maryland within a week.