FBI Move Closer on Motive for LA Airport Shooting

Reuters | 7/09/02 | Gina Keating

[kattracks]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The FBI appeared on Tuesday to be moving closer to establishing a motive for an Egyptian limousine driver's deadly July 4 shooting at Los Angeles airport, saying investigators may have "significant developments" in the case later in the week.

A Muslim community leader helping authorities dig up information about Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, 46, said the FBI was preparing a first-round analysis of the information gleaned from early interviews and evidence.

"That's where they put all the pieces together and look into the totality," Salam al Marayati, director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, told Reuters. "It should happen tomorrow."

The FBI said last week that Hadayet went to the airport on Independence Day armed with two guns and a knife with intent to kill, but his motive for opening fire on passengers and staff at the El Al ticket counter has so far remained unexplained.

"It's possible there may be significant developments in the investigation," FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley said on Tuesday. "We are following a number of leads to establish motivation."

Bosley said the FBI would be meeting with Los Angeles police, immigration, customs and other authorities shortly to exchange information gleaned in their inquiries. But she said the results would not be made public unless a firm conclusion was reached.

Two Israelis were killed in the attack which Israel has labeled terrorism. U.S. authorities have said they have no evidence to suggest the shooting was an act of terror, saying Hadayet was not on any international watch list and appeared to have no ties to Islamic militant groups.

At the FBI's request, Muslim leaders in southern California canvassed their communities for information about Hadayet, who had been living in the United States since 1992.

"We called on our network to provide information but basically came up with nothing," Al Marayati said. "This gentleman is an unknown figure in the community. He may have attended some Friday prayers but was not a core member of a mosque."

TENSION STILL HIGH AT AIRPORT

Tension is still high at Los Angeles airport where a security alert over an unattended bag lead to a brief evacuation on Tuesday of Terminal 5, the Delta Air Lines hub.

Police said passengers were cleared out onto the sidewalk but the incident was cleared after about 30 minutes. No bombs were found.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that Hadayet first came to the United States on a six-month tourist visa and applied for political asylum shortly before his visa expired in 1992.

His asylum application was denied but he appealed and was granted a temporary residency and work permit before his wife won legal residency status through a federal "diversity" visa lottery aimed at boosting underrepresented populations of immigrants allowed into the United States.

Hadayet's wife and two sons had returned to Egypt to visit family about two weeks before the shooting. They have been interviewed by FBI agents but have been unable to explain his outburst.

Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday ordered an evaluation of the emergency response to the shooting to determine whether adjustments to screening procedures and police deployment were needed in light of the shooting.

"I'm not suggesting mistakes were made but I am suggesting that we can learn things from our response," said Councilman Jack Weiss, who requested the reports. "I want to make certain we are prepared, frankly, for something worse than July 4."

[goodieD]

Are these boys simple or just slow? Did their mothers drop them at birth? Motive? hmmmmmm let me think....whatever could it be?????

[GNU4U]

Yes it is an interesting read, and shows why not having a "reasonable" answer to "reasonable questions" creates the ability to "make sense" of the information.

Chupacabras dun it!

[Cogadh na Sith]

They will unequivocally announce that it was a terrorist attack, but only because of the unrelenting beating they've taken in the press for their reluctance to state the obvious.

Undoubtedly....

The only thing better than completely politicized law enforcement is law enforcement that is swayed by the whims of the howling masses.

[prophetic]

Let me give them a Very Loud Hint !!

It was a Terrorist Attack You Dimwits!!

[dead]

That article is hysterical.

He treats the Howard Stern fan's phony phonecall to CNN as a piece of evidence.

"Arty Lang stole my job! Arty Lang stole my job!"

Who is this Arty, and why did the fat white gunman with the ponytail start telling lousy jokes?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Top ten reasons for women to become homicide bombers.

10. No matter how hard she tries, can't get any of Martha Stewart's homemaking tips to work.
9. PMS. Palestinian Meshugena Syndrome.
8. So messed up she thinks that Katie Couric will inveterview her afterwards.
7. Doesn't want to be around when the Clinton's books come out.
6. Promised 72 Alec Baldwins in the hereafter. ( I told you they are messed up)
5. Too short. Sorry that's Tom Dashle.
4. Only time she gets to leave home without a veil.
3. To get out of marrying a Muslim.
2. Always wanted to be on CNN.

And at number one;

1. Once she signs up, all fellow terrorists must refer to her as a Jihottie.

[GNU4U]

BTW.. it is not "tin foil" but instead "duct-tape headband."

More effectively cuts off circulation to the brain!

Chupacabras dun it!

[stands2reason]

Sheesh, this is like watching a marathon between box turtles.

[colorado tanker]

The scary thing is, if someone had offered this nut an explosives belt, he would have put it on and done a lot more damage. I'm afraid it may only be a matter of time.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Police said passengers were cleared out onto the sidewalk but the incident was cleared after about 30 minutes. No bombs were found.

I'm sure this has been stated before but could it be possible the terrorists are seing how we will react to certain situations? The "evacuated crowds" would make perfect targets.

[Shermy]

LOL.

I intended the excuse will be Acutane, rather than a chupacabra. But, you know, how would Chupacabras react to Acutane? They certainly could use it.

[GNU4U]

Chupacabras demonically possessed him and then flew him to Argebtina so he could mutilate a cow, this of course made him late for work at Taco bell so he got fired!

Duhhhhhh....

What a dumb question.

Chupacabras dun it!

[Fred Mertz]

I thought this guy Hadayet was 42 years old last week.

Has he aged 4 years since he was gunned down?

The real hero of this story in my book has got to be the El Al security guard.

[csvset]

...the reason for the shooting is a bungled attempt to kill Israel's Shimon Peres' granddaughter.

Was she jogging ala Chelsea?

Seriously though, I heard she was at the airport. It'd be a scary thought if they were stalking her or anyone else specifically.

[4America]

Bump

[GNU4U]

On a serious note: "I worked in a building reputed to have "intelligent" people working in it."

Post 9-11 or within a week of it, there was a bomb scare, somebody's car broke down, and they called out a dog who whizzed on the wheel so they decided "i believe" to take it apart with a water cannon?

So anyway there is a crowd of people unable to get their car from the parking garage... I walk to a nearby mall, pick up a suit, get some munchies at Friday's and then walk back. They had widened the evacuation zone.

So here is a froup of "intelligent" people looking in the direction of the car, a blast would have picked up gravel, dirt, glass, and maimed if it had been a bomb.

Really what is needed is training for police officers to handle a Bus. Buses should be used to transport people from the area and use a casette recorder to verify an individual as they load the bus and then take them a safe distance, starting with the disabled, young, and old.

As I hoofed up that hill, I was not hanging around I recall a time when my back after surgery would not have allowed it.

A place out of the weather, with bathrooms etc., should be sought to avoid a situation where a second bomb hurts "good natured, well meaning, and unexperienced civillians."

In the event of an actual bomb the tape recorder can be used to verify who actually got out... that a risk reward assesment of if to go back in.

I have first aid training ROTC which covers sucking wounds etc., but I would not play the role of emergency response.

Even the artcile though interesting points to a "redirect" and the first responders have to prepare for this mode of attack.

Moral of the story is: If you have a designated response roll or procedure, follow it. If not get the hell out of the area if possible.

If there are people in wheel chairs on your floor make plans of whom will be responsible to get that individual out, make a contingency plan that say 8 people are assigned to carry out a wheelchair individual down the fire escape in the vent of a "real emerency." Hopefully four will be there.

Simple common sense planning makes all the difference.

In the private sector the corp we owned had teams, we also rellied on volunteer fire service, so we "had" to come up with our own plan, ours was more organized than the governments.

WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUR PEOPLE OUT!

[GNU4U]

According to most of the eyewitnesses, this image describes the most common standing position of this creature. The image was created taking into account 45 detailed descriptions provided by several people that claim to have seen or had contact with this being. The reason why these descriptions were used is because they were the ones that corroborated the most, according to several different testimonies.

Do eyewitness testimony count? Was Israel's Shimon Peres' granddaughter at the airport or was it Chupacabras?

Enquiring Minds Need To Know!

If she was there, it was terrorism.

[APBaer]

"Quite honestly", she continued.......

Oh, Oh.
Any time anyone uses such a filler such as "Quite Honestly", or "to be perfectly frank with you"...
DANGER MR. ROBINSON!!! BULL SHET ALERT!!

[GNU4U]

Yeah would you look at this crap?

[Redcloak]

It looks like a match to me...

Yup... Musta been a chupacabra.