Negasi Zuberi sketched plans to 'raise an army' with captured women, prosecutors say

Editor's note: Details in this story may be disturbing for some readers.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – New details surrounding Negasi Zuberi – the man accused of kidnapping a woman and locking her in a cinderblock cell before she was able to escape – reveal he had planned to capture multiple women to raise an “army” under his control, according to federal court documents.

Prosecutors accused Zuberi of plotting an “Operation Take Over” in which he “sketched out plans for an underground structure” and targetable women, listing characteristics of an “ideal victim” who had few personal connections.

Court documents show that Zuberi prefaced his target list with the phrase, “You must raise an army.”

“[The notes] show his preparation and planning,” the document reads. “And, if there is any doubt as to the purpose of the cell or the import of his kidnapping tools, they enlighten and augment the existing evidence.”

Investigators say Zuberi would scout for potential victims in parking lots and take “surreptitious photos” of the women and their license plates to track their cars as recently as July 2023.

Zuberi is the focus of an ongoing investigation, led by the FBI, accusing him of soliciting a woman for prostitution in Seattle in July 2023 and driving her to his Klamath Falls home, where he had built a makeshift cell in the garage. 

Authorities say the woman was locked in the cell for a few hours, but when Zuberi left, she escaped and called 911. The next day, Zuberi was arrested in Reno, Nevada in a Walmart parking lot while holding one of his children in the front seat of his car and talking to his wife.

The investigation went public in August 2023, leading to details of multiple aliases — Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi — in at least 10 states within the past decade.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story.