Posted on 02/14/2005 7:44:48 AM PST by dead
One month ago today, Jersey City police walked into a blood bath and ended up in a case rife with international intrigue.
The killings of Hossam Armanious, his wife Amal Garas, and their two young daughters have spawned news stories across the globe, spurred religious tension in an American inner city and captured President Bush's attention.
The case has taken investigators from Africa to cyberspace and inside the teachings of Islam. It's put them at the uncomfortable crossroads of a centuries-old ideological battle between Egyptian Christians and Egyptian Muslims. And it's left them at the core of a potential political firestorm.
In recent days, it has also brought them closer to possibly solving the slayings, which they now believe are likely about money and not the sectarian violence feared by many Coptic Orthodox community members.
"We're getting somewhere that hopefully is going to give us a clear indication as to what the motive is," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio. "And once you have motive, that helps lead you to the people involved."
DeFazio still won't discuss the intricate details of the case or explain why investigators are leaning toward a financial motive for the killings. But he did provide a glimpse into the probe, which has included assistance from an FBI profiler.
"The FBI does not think that, based on the information gleaned from the scene, it's based on religious extremism," the prosecutor said, without elaborating.
A trip to Egypt
Last week, new details emerged about the case and about the Armanious family.
One is that the killers didn't bring the murder weapons to the house, killing the family instead with knives they found there, DeFazio said. That doesn't indicate a planned assassination, the prosecutor said.
The family was bound and silenced with duct tape that may or may not have been inside the house, he said.
A close friend also disclosed late last week that Hossam Armanious spent two to three days searching for the deposed Bishop of Luxor during a trip to Egypt this past summer. Armanious found him in a monastery in the desert.
"Hossam spent one day with the exiled bishop," said the friend, Rafique Iscandar, who is also the president of the American Coptic Union. "When Sam lived there, he used to help him in the church. The bishop would call and say, 'Hossam, can you help us?' and Hossam would help."
The FBI has gone to Egypt to investigate, said DeFazio, adding that authorities want to know about the family's travel habits. It wasn't known whether Armanious' trip or visit with the bishop had any connection to the homicides.
Investigators were still pursuing court orders to gain access to family records. DeFazio wouldn't say which, nor would he discuss the family's finances, other than to say, "They didn't live hand to mouth."
One theory holds that the victims were significantly wealthier than their modest home indicated and the killers were trying to gain access to the hidden money. Although there was evidence of robbery, a large amount of jewelry remained untouched, authorities said. Several religious symbols - including cross tattoos on each family member's wrist - weren't damaged.
"Do you think if it was financial they would not take the gold and a ring from my sister's finger?" said Ayman Garas, the dead woman's brother. "Do you think if Hossam had a lot of money he would have complained about his job not giving him enough hours?
"I mean, he never complained about money, but he wasn't rich."
'Savage attack'
One investigator familiar with the case said it is likely that the killers spent a "considerable amount of time" inside the house.
The extent of Hossam Armanious' injuries also suggests a substantial effort was expended, possibly to get financial information from him, the source said.
Armanious clearly suffered the worst of the injuries, including numerous stab wounds, said an official with knowledge of the investigation.
All of the victims appeared to suffer "ritualistic" injuries, including holes bored under each family member's neck, said the source, who saw photos taken of the bodies after they were released to a funeral home. The face of each victim was obscured with a bag, he said.
Iscandar said he was told about such injuries by a Garas family member shortly after the murders.
DeFazio conceded: "This was a savage, savage attack. Whoever did this are not humans."
However, he insisted the injuries aren't consistent with those in ritualistic homicide.
National stage
Rumor nonetheless has often trumped fact in the killings. The latest to spread through the Coptic community last week was that the FBI had taken four suspects into custody in Egypt.
Both DeFazio and an FBI spokesman denied the report.
Ayman Garas and several other Garas family members are headed to Washington, D.C., to discuss the case with government officials. They have scheduled a news conference there Tuesday at the National Press Club. The event is being organized by the U.S. Copts Association, who termed Hossam Armanious "a well-known leader of online ministry to the Muslim-American community" in a press release announcing the event.
President Bush was briefed on the case on Jan. 19 by the U.S. representative of the Coptic pope, who also filled in three U.S. senators.
"The pope's position is really very simple," Maged F. Riad, spokesman for Pope Shenouda III, said Friday. "He is feeling very sad that a family would endure such a brutal murder and a feeling of sympathy of the family of the victims."
Riad said he keeps the pope updated on progress of the case and even passed a message from the Coptic spiritual leader to DeFazio during a meeting shortly after the murders. Also at the meeting was Bishop David of the church the Armanious family attended in Jersey City.
"When we went to DeFazio, Bishop David and I, we said very clearly that we want two things," Riad said. "One is the truth and the other is justice."
He also said the pope would consider it "shameful if the U.S. cannot catch who did this."
"The church is starting to feel frustration with the time it has taken to resolve this crime," Riad added. "The people in the community have not forgotten about this, and some have not used their own bedrooms since this happened, instead sleeping together in one room."
Riad said DeFazio recently told him that investigators "came up with a good lead on the case and it looks like it is not religion. ... He wouldn't tell me what it was, which I respect him for."
Deep distrust
A mitigating factor in how many Coptics view the killings is a deep mistrust of the Egyptian government, which many accuse of systematic discrimination. Many Copts fled Egypt to America in the 1980s and 1990s to avoid what they perceived as growing Islamic fundamentalism and an increase in tension between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority.
"There's a lot of confluence in this case, I'll give you that," said DeFazio, who has been studying writings about the Quran, the Muslim holy book, to gain knowledge about Islam.
Iscandar's own theory - which has no supportive evidence - is that a "sleeper cell from overseas" used a middleman in the United States to commit the crime. The killings, he said, are similar to those carried out by terrorists throughout the world, something he said Americans aren't used to seeing.
"Americans are stupid and naïve," Iscandar said. "They don't understand the Middle East."
The Armaniouses were like any other middle-class American family, Iscandar said.
"I'm trying to think why they picked this guy," he said.
Longtime friends
Iscandar and "Sam" Armanious became friends in Egypt in 1982. Born in the historic city of Luxor, Armanious owned a small tourist motel before coming to the United States in February 1996. Iscandar gave him a job in his Summit Avenue bodega, where Armanious worked for about eight months before landing a job catering for hotels.
Armanious was laid off from the catering job about six months ago, Iscandar said. Amal Garas had recently gotten a job with the U.S. Postal Service, he said.
Iscandar said he fears complicity by the Coptic community in the murders and points fingers at leaders of the church, who say he is trying to push a political agenda and escalating the tension between Muslims and Christians in Jersey City.
Iscandar claims a "collaboration" between the Coptic Church and the Egyptian government is stifling public discussion about the killings.
"The church and government interfered and people have stopped talking [publicly]," Iscandar said. "They want us to shut up."
Yellow police tape still ropes off the Oakland Avenue house where the couple and their daughters, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found dead on Jan. 14. A bright orange sign with the word "homicide" in large, black typed letters remains on the front door.
A large memorial of flowers, toy cars, stuffed animals and candles sits outside the home that relatives say was once so vibrant and full of life. Only two of the hundreds of candles still burn. Flowers have turned brown and white slips of paper containing written messages are now weather-stained.
For family members, there remains one question: Why?
"That's the thing that makes me go nuts," Ayman Garas said. "But I'm not going to judge anybody at all. Our only goal is fair justice."
E-mail: troncone@northjersey.com
One is that the killers didn't bring the murder weapons to the house, killing the family instead with knives they found there, DeFazio said. That doesn't indicate a planned assassination, the prosecutor said.
This doesn’t indicate a single thing in my opinion. If they entered the home with guns, subdued and tied up the family, they would then put their guns away and proceed to torture and kill them with whatever was around.
From day one, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio seems to have been obsessed with finding a non-religious angle on this case. I don’t know why, but any mention of the indicators that point towards muslim extremism have been pooh-poohed and any hint of a financial angle has been trumpeted as a possible “the smoking gun.”
The authorities are determined to find in the end that it was not Islamic extremists. The only question is how they are going to reach that conclusion.
BTTT
Cover-up, cover-up, cover-up, plain and simple. Ignore the obvious fact of muslim beheading/ throat-cutting and paint it as a simple "robbery gone bad". Steaming load of BS. Just wait until this same thing begins happening on a wider basis, and it will. IMO.
"The FBI does not think that, based on the information gleaned from the scene, it's based on religious extremism,"
I agree. Sounds like every day, moderate, run of the mill islam to me.
Excellent point, Brilliant
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
As you point out, this has been the official line from the beginning - -it's reported as new, but is simply reiterating the story from day one.
The question that won't be asked in the MSM is who does business like this? The ROP? Yup. Columbian and Jamaican drug gangs? Yup. So, what is DeFazio trying to suggest? That this family was mixed up with the Sinaloa Cowboys? That dog just won't hunt.
Bullsh(caugh)it!
>>>>>>>Our only goal is fair justice<<<<<<<
Will there be justice ping?
I wonder if the investigators have spoken with any of those people in the chat rooms. Has anyone heard anything about that? Do they have any suspects at all?
Nothing to see here, just move along. Muslims and al Queda are harmless fuzzballs, building day care centers, according to one democrat party elected Congress-critter.
So the Jamaicans and the Columbians are the only drug gangs? There aren't any Muslim terrorist cells financing their activities through the heroin trade?
There's no chance that this guy was somehow involved in that? Are you attempting to suggest that these Muslim terrorists just picked his name out of hat and killed him?
They will probably find that Egyptian Muslims paid to have them murdered and claim that proves that it was about money instead of religion...
The prosecutor seems to have determined motive from day one. Do you think living in the belly of the beast might have something to do with it?
Tune in, Sat, Feb 19th on AMW--let's see how they cover it. I have a feeling we might hear a lot of "most ROP'ers are peaceful...yadda yadda yadda...ROP..." but I would suffer through that if the religious hatred theory gets a fair hearing.
It DID? when did this happen?
Sounds like a description of the same feckless FBI's opinion after the WTC 1993 bombing. This is so obviously a whitewash.
HUH???
Now what does that seem to say about motive?
Robbery? No.
Rental dispute resolution? No.
Extreme religious hatred? Hmmmm.
Gotta love these NJ Democrats...if you have money you deserve to die.
My money is still on Koranimals.
Tune in, Sat, Feb 19th on AMW--let's see how they cover it.
Don't forget the family is due to give a press conference tomorrow as well.
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