A Montgomery man with a history of arrests for violent crimes has been charged with kidnapping in the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard and is sought by police.

Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping in Blanchard’s disappearance. The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, along with other agencies, are actively searching for Yazeed. Authorities said Thursday that evidence shows Yazeed was at the same location where Blanchard was last seen and is believed to have taken Blanchard against her will. Investigators are looking into the possibility Blanchard was kidnapped during a carjacking.

Yazeed and several others were arrested earlier this year on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and first-degree robbery in an incident that left a 77-year-old man severely beaten. Police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

"It’s very concerning to know that someone who has committed that sort of crime was out and in our community,'' Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said at a Thursday news conference. “We think this is someone who should be in custody.”

On Thursday, a warrant was issued for Yazeed’s arrest on a charge of failure to appear in court on those charges. His $280,000 bond was revoked.

Investigators late Wednesday afternoon released images of a man wearing dark-colored pants, dark-colored shoes and a camouflage-colored hooded jacket with “Vans” in white writing across the back. The unknown man was seen leaving the area where Blanchard was last seen in what is described as a late 2000’s model Lincoln Town Car, silver or grey in color.

“As part of the ongoing joint investigation with the Auburn Police Division and the Montgomery Police Department into Aniah’s disappearance, investigators are seeking to identify the individual in the video and speak with him,’’ officials said in that press release.

Register said the warrant against Yazeed was obtained, in part, because of "someone doing the right thing,'' indicating one or more tipsters came forward with information. Investigators believe that Blanchard was kidnapped from the convenience store where she and Yazeed were both last seen. He said there is no evidence at this point that the two were acquainted. He said they also have additional information that put Yazeed at the store.

The police chief said there’s a strong possibility at least one other person was involved in Blanchard’s disappearance and more arrests are expected. He described public input as “critical” to the case.

"Obviously of focus is, and has been since the beginning, finding Aniah,'' Register said. “It’s about giving them (family) some piece of mind.”

"This is a family that’s hurting,'' he said. “Regardless of the outcome, they want to know where their daughter is.”

The attempted murder and kidnapping incident in which Yazeed is a defendant happened in January 2019. According to court records, two male victims – one of them 77-years-old - were held against their will in a hotel room in January 2019 on the 1200 block of Eastern Boulevard.

The older man was beaten until “unconscious, unresponsive, severely injured and near death” and robbed of a Rolex, rifle, handguns, wallet, bank card, clothing and unknown amount of currency. The other man was also beaten and robbed of at least $40.

In July 2017, Yazeed was arrested Cass County sheriff’s deputies in Missouri on an arrest warrant for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.

Yazeed also previously pleaded guilty to felony drug possession in 2015 and received a 13-month suspended sentence. In 2012, he was charged with attempted murder after authorities said he rammed his car into a Montgomery police vehicle. A grand jury declined to indict him on those charges as well.

The previous year – 2011 - Yazeed was charged with two counts of robbery after a man was robbed of more than $2,000, a cell phone and a Gucci watch. A grand jury also declined to indict him on those charges.

Blanchard, a Southern Union College student from Homewood, was officially reported missing Thursday, Oct. 24. She last communicated with a friend late on the night of Oct. 23. Police said her vehicle was seen in the early-morning hours of Oct. 24 along South College Street.

Police recovered the teen’s black 2017 Honda CRV from an apartment complex on the 6100 block of Boardwalk Boulevard in Montgomery around 6:15 p.m. the following evening, which was Friday. A citizen reported the vehicle to police.

Auburn police Capt. Lorenza Dorsey said Blanchard’s vehicle had been damaged sometime between the last time it was seen in Auburn and Friday night.

Authorities the following week released a small portion of a video showing Blanchard making a purchase at a convenience store located on South College Street that Wednesday night/Thursday morning just prior to her vehicle being observed traveling southbound on South College Street.

Last week ago, a task force of 60 investigators was officially formed including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Fusion Center and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Opelika Police Department.

On Thursday, Oct. 31, authorities announced Blanchard is now considered to be a victim of foul play and said evidence found in her damaged vehicle, which was examined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, indicated she had been harmed.

Reward money in the case stands at $105,000. UFC President Dana White, UFC fighter Jon Jones, Dominance MMA CEO Ali Abdelaziz, and an anonymous Homewood family all contributed $25,000 toward the reward money while Gov. Kay Ivey’s office pledged $5,000.

Searches for Blanchard, suspects and any new evidence have continued, though police have slowed the number of updates released to the media and the public. The searches have been done by land and air, and focused on Auburn, Montgomery and the expansive area between the two cities.

The non-profit group EquuSearch from Texas this week joined the search for Blanchard. Founder Tim Miller’s daughter was abducted and murdered in North Galveston County, Texas in 1984. Her body wasn’t found until two years later.

At a vigil held Wednesday night - the two-week anniversary of her disappearance - Blanchard’s father and stepmother spoke to a congregation of about 250 people.

"I can seriously tell you for the last two weeks I have felt God’s presence. His presence has kept me going,'' said Elijah Blanchard, who thanked friends, family and even strangers for displaying blue ribbons in his daughter’s honor, and for all the messages and calls of support.

"It has really helped my family get through this terrible, terrible time,'' he said. “People ask me how am I holding up. I’m holding up because the God I serve does not allow me to fail.”