Frankfurt Shooting Suspect Had Links to Radical Islamists

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | MARCH 3, 2011 | DAVID CRAWFORD, LAURA STEVENS and MARCUS WALKER

[KeyLargo]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

* EUROPE NEWS * MARCH 3, 2011, 9:57 P.M. ET

Frankfurt Shooting Suspect Had Links to Radical Islamists

Suspect Had Contact to Radical Islamist Groups via Facebook

By DAVID CRAWFORD, LAURA STEVENS and MARCUS WALKER

FRANKFURT—The suspected gunman who killed two U.S. servicemen at Frankfurt airport Wednesday had links to Germany's radical Islamist circles, but German investigators say they currently believe he carried out the attack on his own.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he is "saddened" and "outraged" by the shooting of a group of U.S. airmen in Germany. Video courtesy of Reuters

Investigators suspect Arid Uka, a 21-year-old ethnic Albanian whose family moved to Germany from Kosovo, had an "Islamist" motivation for firing at U.S. Air Force personnel on a bus at the airport, according to the office of Germany's chief federal prosecutor, Monika Harms.

Among other leads, German authorities are investigating witness statements that Mr. Uka had befriended more than two years ago a known Islamist, Rami Makanesi, a Syrian-German currently in German custody on terror-related charges. Mr. Makanesi, frequented the radical mosque in Hamburg where leaders of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks met and prayed.

[Little Ray]

Of course not. Goes against the narrative...

[La Enchiladita]

His yelling Allah Akbar while pulling the trigger could have been a big clue.

According to the meager news coverage of the story, including Fox, he yelled "God is great." Yes! They have all learned the new drill, how to cover up and white wash the islamic jihad. Do not call a spade a spade. Call it a toothpick. Minimize and dismiss it. Still doesn't change the reality.

[longjack]

Spiegel says that Rami Makanesi and the perp lived in the same house from 1999 to 2003 when the perp was 9 to 14 years old. That Makanesi radicalized the perp doesn't seem likely since the perp appeared to be radicalized in the past 3 months and Makanesi after 2003.

Another islamist, Haddid, lives in the perps area and may have had some dealings with him, but more likely online than in person.

Right now the keys to the kingdom are most likely on the perp's hard drive. There doesn't seem to be any real analog connections to accomplices, the digital realm will make the connections if there are any.

Spiegel Online / Falsche Freunde, echte Freunde, Facebook-Freunde

[longjack]

the meager news coverage of the story

The last synopsis translation I did from Spiegel this afternoon is at the link below.

Free Republic / Obama Admin. Refuses to Call Attack in Germany an Act of Terrorism, Compares It to Giffords Shooting

You can probably click on my posting history to see other translations about this story.

Germany has been hitting the islamic angle hard.

There just haven't been any obvious terrorist cell links, but the perp has only been interrogated for 3 hours. That was right after the attack. He's lawyered up now, so no new information has come from him since the day of the attack.

[La Enchiladita]

Thank you for the perspective from Germany.

We get DW news on one of our channels here, so I should check that out.