Portland man held without bail on murder charge
Feb. 18—A 22-year-old Portland man will be held without bail while he faces a murder charge in his father's death.
Abdallah Salim Al Siraj was supposed to have his first court appearance Friday, but the hearing was delayed until Wednesday. So far, officials have not released any details about how 50-year-old Salim Al Siraj died or why his son was charged with murder. A judge granted a motion Friday to impound the affidavit that outlines the probable cause for the arrest, and a spokesman for the Portland Police Department said he would not share details beyond a sparse news release from earlier in the week.
That release said officers were called to a unit at 17 Carleton St. about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday for a well-being check and discovered the body of Salim Al Siraj, and that investigators charged his son following an investigation. It was not clear whether the father and son lived together or what might have motivated the alleged killing.
Al Siraj is being held at the Cumberland County Jail.
This homicide is the first in Portland and third in Maine in 2022. The state reported 19 homicides in 2021. Ten of those people were allegedly killed by a family member or partner. Eighteen people were charged with murder or manslaughter in those deaths, and most cases are pending.
