After careful preparation in the autumn, M. flew to Oregon to claim his millions in December. He requested that theLotter and the Oregon lottery keep his name confidential because of safety concerns. "The situation in Iraq is not good. It's very dangerous. If my name were revealed, it would be a big problem."
Oregon Lottery director Jack Roberts agreed to the unusual request. "The personal safety risk that he and his family might face seems stronger than the public interest of knowing who the person is," Roberts told local media. "I don't want to read that somebody has been kidnapped or killed because we announce them as a Megabucks winner."