Ohio Homeland Security Official Fired Over Resume Discrepancy

A high ranking Jordanian-born Ohio Homeland Security official, whose efforts to create liaisons with Arab-American groups came under criticism from some conservatives, has been fired from his $76,000-a-year job for failing to disclose previous employers on his employment application to the agency.

Omar Alomari, 60, the agency's community engagement officer since 2006, had been assigned to connect with local groups, offer advice, collect information and provide a first line of defense against domestic terrorism.

But Alomari, who had testified before Congress on Ohio’s efforts at community outreach, was criticized by his opponents for his outreach to controversial organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Arab-American civil rights organization.

His firing two weeks ago was sparked by an investigation by the Jawa Report, a weblog that tracks and, at times, writes searing criticism of extremist Islamic activities.

Alomari, according to Ohio Public Safety records, left a gap of six years in the resume he submitted to Homeland Security. During those six years he was a full-time humanities instructor at Columbus State Community College in Ohio, a job he left after he was accused of having a consensual affair with a student, in violation of school policy.

He was also accused of giving false information to investigators looking into the discrepancy in his resume. According to documents Jawa provided to FoxNews.com, Alomari said he only put down work in his resume that he thought would be of interest to a new employer. Under questioning he also admitted to serving as an “adviser” to Jordan's minister of labor before emigrating in 1979.

Despite the explanation, Ohio Homeland Security officials decided he should be fired from his job.

There was no evidence presented that he compromised security or committed any criminal acts in the conduct of his work.

Efforts to reach Alomari at home were unsuccessful.