Federal judge delays trial of Canadian caught with arms stash in Ferndale

Federal investigators will have six more weeks to solve the mystery of Oliver King.

A federal judge in Seattle on Monday postponed the trial of an Iranian-born Canadian citizen caught in the U.S. with a huge stash of military-style firearms and ammunition until Sept. 20 in order to give investigators a chance to sort out the man's mysterious past in Iran, Europe and Canada.

Prosecutors in Seattle are working with State Department and law-enforcement officials in Canada, Germany and Denmark to sort out details in the life of King, who apparently was born Hamid Malekpour in Tehran, Iran, in 1975.

King was arrested May 19 outside a storage facility in Ferndale, Whatcom County, with a car containing two shotguns, two handguns and 480 rounds of .50-caliber rifle ammunition, according to charging documents.

A search warrant obtained for the shed turned up 27 military-style firearms, including a .50-caliber sniper rifle — capable of killing at distances approaching one mile — and numerous semi-automatic assault-style weapons, handguns, ammunition and magazines, according to charging documents.

King, 35, has been indicted on a charge of being an alien in possession of firearms and ammunition and lying to government agents.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Roe, during a hearing Monday before U.S. District Judge James Robart, said the investigation is complex and involves witnesses in several countries. She also indicated that it is likely the government will seek a new indictment and that others will be charged by the grand jury, as well.

King has pushed his case to go to trial, refusing to agree to a continuance. The trial was originally set to begin on Aug. 9.

One defense attorney appointed to represent King already has withdrawn due to conflicts with his client's wish, according to court records. His new lawyer, Michael Nance, told the court that he could use more time but that if his client wanted to go to trial, he'd oblige.

On Monday, King was agitated and appeared upset at Robart's decision to push back the trial date to Sept. 20.

Roe told the court that King has traveled to the U.S. before and that information he provided at that time appears questionable: purported degrees from the Danish Technical Institution, including a Ph.D., appear to be false. He was — and may still be — a licensed gun dealer in Canada. However, prosecutors here said Interpol records reveal a criminal history in Denmark, including firearms violations, according to court filings.

What caught the attention of border guards when he attempted to enter the U.S. on May 18, however, was his passport, which had been issued that morning. According to court documents, King told the border guards that his old passport "went through the washing machine."

But when agents pulled his vehicle out for secondary inspection, they found a canceled passport — without any apparent water damage and not due to expire until 2013 — that included three visas for travel in Iran, the most recent issued in March.

King told agents he was going to meet his wife at a Target store in Bellingham. Agents following him, however, said he drove straight to McMinnville, Ore., where he went to a gun shop and loaded boxes into his car. They then followed him back to the Ferndale storage shed, where he was arrested.

According to court documents and testimony at a previous hearing, King has claimed he worked for Israeli intelligence. A filing by his previous attorney, Michael Martin, states that "for a variety of reasons" King has in the past had contact with the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency.

Nance, his current lawyer, acknowledges that the government is looking for terrorist connections in his client's past.

"They're looking into it and, if they find it, I'm sure they'll announce it from the rooftops," he said.

The government says King and at least one other man were involved in a "gun scheme," but hasn't said what it involves.

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com