A man arrested by Las Vegas police during the raid of an allegedly illegal biolab in Las Vegas on Jan. 31 was charged after authorities discovered he was a foreign national in possession of several weapons.

Federal prosecutors on Feb. 2 charged Ori Salomon, 55, with a felony gun crime.

Salomon made an initial appearance in court on Feb. 3. He also faces a state charge connected to the disposal of hazardous waste.

Salomon is in the United States on a non-immigrant visa and knowingly possessed six firearms, including rifles and handguns, which is illegal, federal court documents alleged.

The FBI’s Las Vegas field office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not return requests for information about Salomon’s citizenship.

The FBI and Las Vegas police raided a home on Sugar Springs Drive in northeast Las Vegas on Jan. 31 after finding evidence that it possibly contained an illegal setup connected to a similar biolab that was dismantled in California several years ago.

The Las Vegas home is owned by a Chinese national who was arrested in the California biolab case in 2023 on charges related to manufacturing illegal tests and substances.

More than 1,000 samples were taken from the Las Vegas home and sent for testing by the FBI.

Authorities said they are still unsure what might have been inside refrigerators and a freezer in the makeshift lab inside the garage, but that they feared it could contain HIV, malaria, or other potentially dangerous pathogens that were present at the California biolab, according to Sheriff Kevin McMahill.

Police found three other people inside the residence, who they said were renting rooms from Salomon. They were not involved in the investigation and were released, the sheriff said.

During the search of the house, officers found French and Israeli passports in Salomon’s name inside an office space.

Authorities searched a house on Sugar Springs Drive in Las Vegas on Jan. 31, 2026, where they found several unidentified substances in the garage. (FBI)

The guns were also found in the office but were left at the house because the state search warrant didn’t authorize firearm seizures, according to the FBI statement.

Salomon made a call to his daughter from jail at about 2 a.m., hours after he was arrested and booked, apparently further tipping off authorities about the guns, court documents state.

“During this phone call, Salomon asked, ‘Is there any guns left? Is there any guns left in the house or did they confiscate it?’” an FBI agent reported in the court complaint.

A female on the call allegedly told Salomon that three rifles were left, and that officers had found the lockbox with a pistol inside, but couldn’t open it.

A judge issued a federal search warrant for Salomon’s residence, and the firearms were seized on Feb. 2, along with accessories and ammunition, according to the court complaint.

Hazardous materials teams collected more than 1,000 samples of biological materials from refrigerators and a freezer in a garage at a house in northeast Las Vegas on Jan. 31, 2026. (FBI)

Saloman is a non-immigrant worker who is authorized to remain in the United States until May 5, according to the court document.

His Homeland Security visa status and pending applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have been put on hold as of Feb. 1, prosecutors stated.

It is unclear whether Salomon has an attorney representing him. A request for comment sent to the Las Vegas public defender’s office was not immediately returned.