A man accused of killing two police officers while acting as the leader of an al Qaeda group in Iraq was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, federal officials said.

It is not known how long the man was living in Arizona or what he was doing there.

He will now face being extradited to Iraq.

Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 42, is wanted in Iraq on charges of the premeditated murder of two Iraqi police officers in 2006, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona.

According to the Iraqi government, al-Nouri was the leader of an al Qaeda group in the Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah which planned operations targeting Iraqi police.

He and other members of al-Qaida allegedly shot and killed a lieutenant on June 1, 2006, and an officer with the Fallujah Police Directorate on October 3, 2006.

An Iraqi judge issued a warrant for Al-Nouri's arrest and the government there issued an extradition request to the U.S. Justice Department.

The Justice Department sought an arrest warrant for Al-Nouri Wednesday and he was taken into custody on Thursday in Phoenix.

The arrest was announced by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey for the District of Arizona.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division (left) and U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey for the District of Arizona (right) announced the arrest

He appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Phoenix on Friday in connection with proceedings to extradite him to Iraq, the statement said.

It noted the details in the Iraqi complaint were allegations that had yet to been proven in court.

Al-Nouri's extradition will have to be certified by the U.S. court and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will then decide whether to surrender him to Iraq.

The statement from federal officials did not provide information on when Al-Nouri entered the United States or how long he had lived in Phoenix.

No further information was released.