Working in tandem with the FBI, the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) investigated and closed without charges a case dealing with a landmine brought into GPD headquarters in March.
GPD evacuated its headquarters on March 13 because of the explosive and told residents that no surrounding residents were in danger. The bomb squad for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office came and disposed of the landmine.
A GPD report details the investigation into a student from Jordan who traveled to America to participate in an internal medicine observation at UF Health and engaged in “uncomfortable” behavior with guests at an Airbnb.
GPD spokesperson Art Forgey said the department closed the case after exhausting the leads. He said the FBI worked hand in hand with the department and opted not to take up the case without enough material for formal charges.
Forgey said the student, Saif Batainef, 25, had already left the country when the investigation started.
The case began after Wendy Richards, the landlord of a Gainesville Airbnb, brought a landmine to GPD that she found in the closet of the room Batainef rented from her. The report said the landmine came in two parts that weren’t wired together.
Forgey said while not primed when Richards brought it in, the device had the potential for danger.
Richards told GPD that she asked Batainef to leave the Airbnb early. Batainef’s stay was initially scheduled for February 7 to March 7, but after two female renters reported uncomfortable behavior and checked out early, the host asked Batainef to also leave.
The landlord said she normally stays at the house, but she was in Kentucky at the time because of a family emergency. GPD interviewed three other occupants who were at the Airbnb, two female guests and a male stand-in host.
Both female guests said they were concerned with Batainef’s behavior, including shouting in Arabic on the phone at night and odd conversations. On Feb. 25 one guest, Charlotte Briggs, returned from a run to find Batainef “peeking” into her room, which lacked a door and had a tri-fold wood barrier.
Briggs messaged the host and told the other female guest, Mary Tracey, while they were both in a car later that day. Both returned to the Airbnb, packed their belongings and left.
Tracey said she got sex trafficking vibes from the whole situation and was concerned about the stand-in male host as well. She said it was a traumatic experience she was trying to forget.
When Richards returned from Kentucky a little over two weeks later, she checked the rooms.
“She stated she looked through the residence because the Airbnb guests all left in a hurry,” the report said. “She wanted to ensure that no items were left at the location.”
That’s when she found the landmine, placed it in a plastic shopping bag and took it to GPD headquarters. She also told GPD that Banainef had visited Texas for a few days during his stay.
After interviews with the guests and UF Health, who confirmed Banainef had reached out to watch rotations at the hospital, GPD said the investigation came to an end.
Dr. Omar Al-Radideh at UF Health said Banainef showed up for all of his rotations. He said four of the five international students that have shadowed him have been from Jordan. Al-Radideh, who is also from Jordan, said he thinks the students are comfortable coming to watch under him because of the shared background.
Al-Radideh said Banainef mentioned issues with his housing situation after returning from Texas, where he said he had family. Al-Radideh told GPD that Banainef moved into a hotel before finishing his rotations on March 5.
Forgey said the department is ready to reinvestigate if new material comes to light, but for now, the investigation is finished.
He said GPD is always quick to coordinate the proper response when elements of an investigation—an explosive, a Middle Eastern student and internal traveling within the U.S. — point to a potential larger situation.
Forgey said investigators have to look at what each case presents and work to protect the public interest.