Recruitment Shooting Suspect Says It Was Retaliation

[Locke]

The Abortion Doctor Shooter is getting lots of airtime. But this one from a domestic terrorist who is yet another member of the "religion of peace" has been buried.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525584,00.html

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —

A Muslim convert charged with fatally shooting an American soldier at a military recruiting center said Tuesday that he doesn't consider the killing a murder because U.S. military action in the Middle East justified it.

"I do feel I'm not guilty," Abdulhakim Muhammad told The Associated Press in a collect call from the Pulaski County jail. "I don't think it was murder, because murder is when a person kills another person without justified reason."

Pvt. William Andrew Long, 23, of Conway had just completed basic training and was volunteering at the west Little Rock recruiting office before starting an assignment in South Korea. He was shot dead June 1 while smoking a cigarette outside the building, and a fellow soldier, Pvt. Quinton I. Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville was wounded.

"Yes, I did tell the police upon my arrest that this was an act of retaliation, and not a reaction on the soldiers personally," Muhammad said. He called it "a act, for the sake of God, for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the world, and also a retaliation on U.S. military."

In the interview, Muhammad also disputed his lawyer's claim that he had been "radicalized" in a Yemeni prison and said fellow prisoners that some call terrorists were actually "very good Muslim brothers."

He also said he didn't specifically plan the shootings that morning.

"It's been on my mind for awhile. It wasn't nothing planned really. It was just the heat of the moment, you know," said Muhammad, who was arrested on a highway shortly after the attack.

Prosecutor Larry Jegley, who on Monday won a gag order in the case, declined to comment specifically on Muhammad's remarks.

"I asked for the gag order to protect Mr. Muhammad's right for a fair trial," Jegley said. "I've never had a situation like this with a gag order and I'm sure Mr. Muhammad's attorney will take care of it."

Muhammad, 23, said he wanted revenge for claims that American military personnel had desecrated copies of the Quran and killed or raped Muslims. "For this reason, no Muslim, male or female, sane or insane, little, big, small, old can accept or tolerate," he said.

He said the U.S. military would never treat Christians and their Scriptures in the same manner.

"U.S. soldiers are killing innocent Muslim men and women. We believe that we have to strike back. We believe in eye for an eye. We don't believe in turning the other cheek," he said.

Asked whether he considered the shootings at the recruiting center an act of war, Muhammad said "I didn't know the soldiers personally, but yes, it was an attack of retaliation. And I feel that other attacks, not by me or people I know, but definitely Muslims in this country and others elsewhere, are going to attack for doing those things they did," especially desecrating the Quran.

Last week, defense lawyer Jim Hensley said his client had been tortured and "radicalized" in a Yemeni prison after entering the country to teach English. He was held there for immigration violations, and Yemeni officials have denied mistreatment.

"Those claims ... are all lies," Muhammad said Tuesday. "That never happened in Yemen. The officials dealt with me in a gentle way."

Hensley said Tuesday that any information spread by any of the parties since Monday morning would violate the gag order and declined to say whether he would advise his client to remain silent pending a trial.

[joe817]

His logic boggles my mind. I'm keeping my mouth shut on this one.

[bryang]

His logic boggles my mind. I'm keeping my mouth shut on this one.

Yes, his logic boggles my mind, too, however your logic sounds good to me.

-geo

[casingpoint]

Ship him out to Gitmo and waterboard him but good. Find out exactly what he did in Yemen and if he is tied to that Somali mosque in Columbus, Ohio, and what does he know about the goings-on in that mosque.

Written less than a month after 911, this piece from the New York Times puts into perspective what is behind the Little Rock incident:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/07/magaz ... s-war.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If that link does not work, google <this is a religious war> and the first hit should be the article by Andrew Sullivan. The link has been posted here before, but is always a good read.

[CompVest]

Link works

[C-dub]

Honestly, who cares what this guy thinks? What he did was not an act of terrorism. It was a flat out murder and a hate crime. And to think that crazy senator or congresswoman from Florida argued against adding military personel to the list to be protected against hate crimes.

And his theory that the U.S. military would never treat Christians or their scriptures the same way has a big hole in it. Does anyone remember a story about the Army burning a bunch of bibles? I did a quick search and here is a link to the first article I found about this.

http://democraticpopulist.wordpress.com ... e-burning/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I’m ashamed of it and can hardly believe it happened, but it did.

[Abraham]

I'm concerned if this the beginning of these things or an isolated incident?

Has this specific been discussed in any of the news?

[Locke]

Looks like an isolated incident. I'm glad they are going for capital murder.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525681,00.html

Army Recruiter Shooting Suspect Says He's Unaware of More Planned Attacks

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —

The Muslim convert accused of killing a soldier outside an Army recruiting center said Wednesday he is not aware of any similar attacks planned against the military on American soil.

Abdulhakim Muhammad of Little Rock told The Associated Press that FBI agents visited him in the Pulaski County Jail and asked if other attacks were planned. Muhammad said he told the agents that he wasn't aware of any specific plans.

However, he warned of danger ahead.

"I don't know anything that's in the works," Muhammad said in a collect telephone call from the jail. "We're not going to turn the other cheek. It's definitely not the end of it."

Muhammad called the AP to follow up on a Tuesday phone call that ended when a guard said it was time to return to his cell. Wednesday's call also ended abruptly.

In a Tuesday interview with the AP, Muhammad, 23, said he didn't consider the June 1 killing a murder because U.S. military action in the Middle East made the killing justified.

"I do feel I'm not guilty," he said in another collect call. "I don't think it was murder, because murder is when a person kills another person without justified reason."

Pvt. William Andrew Long, 23, of Conway, had just completed basic training and was volunteering at the west Little Rock recruiting office before starting an assignment in South Korea. He was shot dead while smoking a cigarette outside the building, and a fellow soldier, Pvt. Quinton I. Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville was wounded.

Muhammad was arrested on a state capital murder charge and could face the death penalty. FBI spokesman Steve Frazier said Tuesday a federal investigation continues and any information that's gathered is being shared with local law enforcement. He declined to comment further.

An FBI-Homeland Security intelligence assessment document obtained by The Associated Press last week suggested the gunman may have considered targeting other locations, including Jewish and Christian sites in several eastern U.S. cities.

[Purplehood]

This was a Hate Crime.

[Gyrogearhead]

You know, what I'm really concerned with is that the pattern is much deeper than it appears. Take for example the similarities in the thinking of this killer who gunned down the two soldiers on the street and the killer who gunned down Dr. George Tiller in his church. Both of the gunmen invoke God's word for their actions. Both of them recite grevences that they have heard about from their religious leadership. Both of them feel justified in taking a life because they feel that God wants it that way. Neither stopped to think that the Creator of the universe is capable of taking any life He chooses in His own time and without outside assistance. Neither recalled that the fundamental teaching of his religion is peace and harmony. How can these things happen?

Well for one thing you have the entertainment industry teaching us from birth that most arguiments can be settled with a gun and that killers get lots of attention; but that's another story. Let's look at where the killers got their ideas. From their friends certainly. Like minded people tend to hang out together reenforcing the group ideas. Members who might thend to say "Wait a minute this is going too far." are usually encouraged to find another group by the leadership. Therein lies the problem. The leadership wants to maintain its leadership by finding a common enemy to ralley the troops to the cause whether its a rival gang, a church, a mosque, a synagog, a political party or a nation. The only requirement is that the enemy has to be easily identified and eaisly reviled and people who can't or don't want to think will join up in droves. Truth is not the issue and is seldom sought; in fact it is usually supressed by catchy phrases and slogans that the believers can use instead of common sense.

I remember growing up I was taught by my clergy not to think certain thoughts and not to read books that weren't approved. Standard Operating Proceedure! It worked for Adolph Hitler and it works in churches, mosques, synagogs, political action groups and national political parties just as well today. We are becomming a nation of Bill O'Reillys with only extreme views and no room for comprimise. If we are becomming a nation of extremeists who do the other nations of the world have to look up to?

Just my two cents worth. Sorry for the rant.

[joe817]

Yup, . thought provoking post there. Thanks

[casingpoint]

What he did was not an act of terrorism

Actually, compvest, it qualifies as an act of terrorism by definition in that it was crime carried out with political/social motives. I guess you could call it an act of war also. That's how former Pres. Bush regarded them, and started a "War On Terror". That view seems totally lost on the present incumbent, who would rather palaver with the enemy.

[CompVest]

What he did was not an act of terrorism

Actually, compvest, it qualifies as an act of terrorism by definition in that it was crime carried out with political/social motives. I guess you could call it an act of war also. That's how former Pres. Bush regarded them, and started a "War On Terror". That view seems totally lost on the present incumbent, who would rather palaver with the enemy.

I would VERY much appreciate it if you would attribute your quotes to the correct person. The only post I have on this thread to to state that a link works.

Thank you!

[Purplehood]

What he did was not an act of terrorism

Actually, compvest, it qualifies as an act of terrorism by definition in that it was crime carried out with political/social motives. I guess you could call it an act of war also. That's how former Pres. Bush regarded them, and started a "War On Terror". That view seems totally lost on the present incumbent, who would rather palaver with the enemy.

That is called "Diplomacy". Something that the former President thought was a word found only in the National Spelling Bee.

[Gyrogearhead]

There were a lot of perfectly ok words the Bush administration did not have in their vocabulary like "compromise", "empathy" and "sympathetic". The really hard words like "egocentric" they understood perfectly. It almost made me apologetic for being a Republican.

Any sensable president would have finished Afganistan completely and let Saddam marinate in his own juces awhile longer. He would probably have gone into self destruct mode anyway if we had let him alone a little bit longer. And a big plus to that was that he kept some of the middle East radicals occupied hating someone besides us.

Somebody else need this soap box?