By DSS Public Affairs Specialist Eric Weiner
Micah David Bass was on the run and wanted for murder in the United States until criminal investigators with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) picked up his trail in Asia. DSS operates at more than 270 U.S. diplomatic posts in over 170 countries, and our special agents and criminal investigators are uniquely positioned to locate and return fugitives anywhere in the world.
On March 19, 2025, Bass was traveling from Manila to Hanoi, but DSS criminal investigators and consular officers at the U.S. Embassies in Manila and Hanoi were two steps ahead. U.S. Embassy Manila notified its counterparts at U.S. Embassy Hanoi, who leveraged their partnerships with Vietnamese authorities to seamlessly keep tabs on Bass as he traveled internationally. Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Department of Immigration located Bass and placed him under surveillance while DSS investigators contacted U.S. Marshals Service partners to confirm the arrest warrant and logistics.
Vietnamese authorities detained Bass the next day while he was checking out of his hotel. Vietnamese law requires that fugitives must be removed within 72 hours of detention, so the clock was ticking for DSS to coordinate Bass’ return to the United States with Hanoi Consular Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Vietnamese law enforcement.
Well within the deadline, two DSS special agents escorted Bass from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi to San Francisco International Airport, where DSS San Francisco Field Office special agents met the escort team alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Marshals Task Force officers. Bass was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Task Force for extradition to Florida, where he was wanted for vehicular homicide by the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Florida.
“A dangerous American fugitive was captured thanks to excellent DSS criminal investigative work and invaluable support from our embassy colleagues and Vietnamese partners,” said DSS Regional Security Officer Alice Lookofsky. “Together we are making America safer by rooting out those who endeavor to exploit the U.S. travel system.”
DSS has the largest global reach of any U.S. federal law enforcement agency, and this operation highlights our unique ability to mobilize quickly and coordinate with law enforcement partners around the globe to bring fugitives to justice.
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