* Images of the burned car owned by Katherine Smith * alternate title: How Arabs Kill Witnesses

Yahoo-AP ^ | 02.15.02 | AP

[Registered]

The burned car of Katherine Smith sits in a garage at the FBI office Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, in Memphis, Tenn. Smith, 49, a Tennessee state employee, charged in a scheme with five Middle Eastern men to sell fraudulent Tennessee driver's licenses, died Sunday in a fiery car crash the day before her first court appearance. Her badly burned body was discovered Sunday in a rural Tennessee County. FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash testified Wednesday that witnesses told investigators they "noticed flames from the back seat" before Smith's car struck a pole. The agent added that the gas tank was intact. (AP Photo/Greg Campbell)

Special Agent George Bolds IV, media coordinator for the FBI Memphis Office, inspects the trunk of a burned-out Acura, owned by Katherine Smith, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, in Memphis. Smith, a driver's license examiner, was scheduled to appear in federal court Monday on charges that she sold driver's licenses to five Middle Eastern men, primarily from New York, who did not have proper documentation. Her badly burned body was found in the car Sunday, after it struck a utility pole. (AP Photo/Greg Campbell)

FBI special agent George Bolds IV, a media coordinator with the FBI's Memphis office, looks at a burned-out vehicle that belonged to Katherine Smith, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, at the FBI office in Memphis, Tenn. Smith, 49, a Tennessee state employee, charged in a scheme with five Middle Eastern men to sell fraudulent Tennessee driver's licenses, died Sunday in a fiery car crash the day before her first court appearance. Her badly burned body was discovered Sunday in a rural Tennessee County. FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash testified Wednesday that witnesses told investigators they "noticed flames from the back seat" before Smith's car struck a pole. The agent added that the gas tank was intact. (AP Photo/Greg Campbell)

[arm958]

Did it occur to you the killers might be non-Arab moslems?

Uh, we're not talking hypothetical here. This is the real world.

[LADYAK]

They were probably sending a message to others on the take also.

[arm958]

Did it occur to you the killers might be non-Arab moslems?

Did it occur to you to read the AP report about the five Middle Eastern suspects?

[LurkedLongEnough]

Good point. An earlier post states that the men's nationalities were not identified.... but everyone is calling them "Arab". I've looked at other related posts and couldn't find confirmation that they were Saudi Arabians, assuming that's what "Arab" means.

[razorback-bert]

Is Katherine Smith a Black Muslim?

Would explain how she is a friend of Khaled Odtllah.

[Cicero]

There is some peripheral evidence in the OKC case, suppressed during the trial, that Muslim terrorists who were also "informers" for the FBI and/or the CIA were involved as John Does. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's book suggests that the FBI, the BATF, and even the CIA were involved as infiltrators into the Elohim City gang; in fact that there were so many infiltrators there may not have been any perps.

It is well known that the CIA helped Bin Ladin and his associates when they were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. There is some question when, and if, they cut these relations. When the CIA has such "assets," it may put them on the back burner but be reluctant simply to cut them off entirely, in case they may be of future use. In fact, until 9/11 you could argue that that was the right thing to do.

There is at least some possibility that this lady was providing drivers licenses to Arabs at the behest of the intelligence agencies, although personally I would doubt it. Greed and corruption are likelier explanations. Nevertheless, under clinton the Dixie Mafia and US intelligence agencies appear to have worked closely together in some instances, which is not a healthy kind of thing to have our government involved in.

[gfactor]

What intelligence agencies are enabling terrorists?

the CIA had some primo manuals made for the contra's. they're a great read.

[gfactor]

Did it occur to you to read the AP report about the five Middle Eastern suspects?

a majority of people of middle eastern descent in america are christian. now if they are FROM a middle eastern country, the numbers change.

[DonQ]

I am sure this is going to show up on TV on CSI and L&O and a few others, explaining how it was done and by whom.

I am not yet sure it was the Arabs who did her in. She might have sold fake IDs to others - like drug smugglers - who hadn't yet been sniffed out and wanted to keep it that way.

[arm958]

couldn't find confirmation that they were Saudi Arabians, assuming that's what "Arab" means.

The term Arab includes more than just Saudi Arabians. It also includes Iraqis, Yemenis, Quawaitis, Egyptians, Palestinians, Jordanians, Syrians, etc. It does not include Iranians, Pakistanis, and other non-Arab Middle Easterners. The term "Middle Eastern" is more all-encompassing.

[jimbo123]

[mc5cents]

The question is, how did the murderers ignite the fire and how did the gasoline get on her clothes

My guess, molotov cocktail.

[arm958]

There is at least some possibility that this lady was providing drivers licenses to Arabs at the behest of the intelligence agencies

There is no possibility of that (I know). Let's deal in the real world.

[Spook86]

Actually, the Acura didn't belong to Smith...while some reports indicate that she bought the car from one of the defendants, the car was still registered to the defendant at the time of her death. A most unusual arrangement, to say the least.

[fury86]

Khaled Odtilah, 31, came to the US from Jerusalem 13 years ago. Lived in Shelby County for past 2 1/2 years. Owned Phillips 66 gas station until recently. Buys and sells cars, including the 1992 Acura bought by Ms. Smith. Sakhera Hammad, 24, of New York City, and a naturalized citizen from Jordan. Had a visitor's pass for the World Trade Center dated Sept. 5, 2001. Arranged transport from New York to Memphis last week for defendants who intended to buy driver's licenses. Abdelmuhsen Mahmid Hammad, age unknown, in the country illegally after overstaying his visa, he was the driver last week for his cousin, Sakhera Hammad. He used a Tennessee driver's license issued in his name last year by Ms. Smith. Mohammed Ali Fares, 19, born in Venezuela and had Venezuelan passport. Has lived in Lebanon. Walked across the border from Mexico into California, then went to New York. Mostafa Said Abou-Shahin, 26, in the US illegally, said he is from Egypt and a carpenter.

[arm958]

What is so f...ing funny about the woman's death. JERK! She made a serious mistake getting involved with the wrong crowd and should not have been selling driver's licenses. She paid the ultimate cost. May God have mercy on her soul.

You are being too kind. Ms. Smith didn't make a mistake, she made a choice. She chose to go to the dark side and it ended up killing her. The sad part is that her relatives will probably get a generous taxpayer supported insurance/retirement plan. She's an immoral traitor to the state of Tennessee and the United States of America.

[arm958]

North Korea, China, Cuba....

Sure. Whatever you say.

[Jeff Head]

Look at the photos and write ups on the perps in post 51.

Notice how they got here, all the way down to Mohammed Ali Fares "walking across the border from Mexico".

Tip of the iceberg my friend ... and the girders are still heating up IMHO.