Poor thing, having to deal with those flags and all....
Posted on 07/06/2002 6:59:08 PM PDT by Auntie Mame
Today I went to the residence of the man who gunned down the two innocent citizens at LAX on July 4, 2002 to see what kind of story I could bring back to Free Republic. This is my story.
Hesham Mohamed Hadayet lived in a newer, tree-lined, well-maintained, family-friendly but very quiet apartment complex in Irvine, California. His apartment is on the ground floor, on the corner of the building, near the entrance to the complex. There is an apartment on top of his unit, to the side of his unit, and to the back of his unit.
There was an envelope taped to the front door with the street address (number only) written on the front. The envelope was thick, and this reporter assumes it is a legal document from management to fulfill the service and posting requirements for management to clear out the home and make ready for new tenants.
There are two patios, one at the front door, with two chairs, a table, with two ashtrays on it. It is quite pleasant in front, with shade from a large maple tree driving a cooling breeze. Two potted plants were carelessly sitting off to the side of the patio, one of which was artificial with a pink flower.
The back patio is surrounded by a wooden fence and though the view is partially blocked off I could see that the patio has been used as a catch-all, with a small satellite dish with wiring leading to it also there. The patio also contained a pile of old, worn-out, faded towels, a "Playskool"-type basketball set, a tiny barbecue, a cheap plastic table and one chair, a hose which was heaped in disarray, a portable clothes dryer with clothespins and discarded shopping bags.
The Infamous "Read the Koran" sticker:
The sticker was not there, but there was evidence of it having been there, only recently removed. The entire backing of the sticker was still affixed to the door and it was the size of a small bumpersticker.
Two young men were standing in the driveway talking as I drove up. They told me they were from ABC "national." They were friendly and frighteningly young. One of the newsmen told me Hesham Mohamed Hadayet worked nights. While I was there they found one neighbor who gave them an interview. The neighbor really knew next to nothing but was accommodating and was happy to tell the camera that he thought it was a hate crime, not terrorism. The interview had to be started three times because once the interviewer's cell phone rang, once the cameraman's cell phone rang, and once a plane flew overhead.
The windows of the apartment were shielded from onlookers by vertical blinds. The windows were very dirty and the kitchen window screen had been removed and was stuffed to the side of the front door. My impression was that it had been removed some time ago, although there is the possibility the police or FBI removed it to gain entry. There were slits in the window coverings where I could see a little bit inside and from one window I could see the stove, refrigerator, and a large strainer sticking up out of the dish drainer.
From the living room window I could see very little, but a new-looking computer cord was noticeable from underneath the vertical blinds and a clock, placed near the ceiling. The inside of the apartment was pitch black and I fervently wished for a flashlight.
The Children
I spoke to some children. One boy said Omar, the oldest child, played and skateboarded with him regularly. He told me the father was very nice to him, having given him rides. I asked him if he took rides from the father all by himself and he never really answered me. He told me that Omar told him he was going on vacation but would be back in August. He said that he had never asked Omar about what being a Muslim was all about, although he was curious. Omar would occasionally quit playing, saying he had to go home to play with his brother.
Another boy, a cute blonde, approximately 12, told me he used to skateboard with Omar. He said he thinks it was terrorism because the wife and kids were sent away beforehand. When asked if they had taken a vacation last year, he said he didn't think so but couldn't be sure.
The Upstairs Neighbor
The two large flags are still flying from the upstairs neighbor's apartment. One is the American flag and the second is the Marine Corps flag. They are huge and fly in the breeze. There were also two tiny versions of those flags sticking in the ground nearby.
The last neighbor I spoke to said he talked to Hesham Mohamed Hadayet's wife often as she walked around the complex. He said she was very friendly and would joke with him that he should have more kids. He said she was "really really nice." He said that he thinks Hadayet watched "hate TV" on his dish. He said there are satellite channels which show Israelis killing a Palestinian child and they play it over and over and he thinks Hadayet watched this over and over and let himself become filled up with hate.
My Observations
No offense to the Mrs., but the place looked dirty and it isn't the "hubby's been batching it for a week" type of dirt. It's how a place looks if there's no man around the house, remember I couldn't not see inside to any degree, this is how the outside appeared.
But you did it so well, I really got a feel for where the guy lived.
The parts about watching hate TV, the TV dish, and about last year's vacation WAS news to me.
Thanx
Great job!
If only reporter's would care as much as you do about getting the facts straight, and report what they actually observe instead of speculation.
You did terrific!!!!
That was the most interesting part for me, I wonder if this is conjecture or if he heard specifically that this was the case.
I'm convinced this is terrorism, the real question is what degree of organization was behind it.
Great job reporting!
Had to face towards Mecca and pray?
You did well :-)
Now WHO removed this?
Poverty breeds contempt, contempt breeds hate, and hate breeds resentment. Resentment breeds disgust! Disgust breeds un-easiness. Terrorism is an natural outcome of uneasiness.(Well, the liberals have confused me on all this but you get the point.)
Given these "poverty stricken" conditions he liven in it is no wonder he chose terrorism!!
Leni
What ever possessed you to go there yourself? Now that you've been there, what's your gut feeling on this guy?
I went there after ruminating for a day about it. The fact that it was close to my home (45 minutes away) was a great motivator. Gut feeling on the guy? After today I'm less inclined to think he was a "terrorist" working with a group of people. Still, it is far too convenient that his wife and children were sent out of the country.
Yes, very well said.
The only police tape was a piece that was curiously wrapped around a post and tied with a bow on the neighbor's patio, which was around the corner from the terrorist's apartment.
Good observation. That could very well be why he had to go home. Never thought of it.
That's a bit odd. Also odd, if she was engaged in discussions with men (I'm assuming without her husband present), especially American men.....this is unusual, from what I know of "traditional" Muslim women.....not unusual if they are more progressive, however, my initial impression of this family, from what I've read, was that they were more strict in their beliefs (traditional). Some accounts were that the husband was unfriendly and would not speak to his neighbors, therefore, if she was walking around talking to people (and men), he wouldn't have been with her. This seems strange.
Say what you will about So. Cal., but kids are still kids, for the most part. It does NOT surprise me that they'd talk freely to you. And I'm glad they did. I really appreciated the comment from the one about Hadayet watching "hate TV". THAT came from his parents, and that's a good thing.
I find it disturbing that there is any question whether this was an act of terrorism. A heavily armed Muslim walks up to a group of people he presumes to be Jewish and begins firing at random, leaving two dead and numerous wounded, and our government cannot determine if the act is one of terrorism? The problem seems to be that they cannot connect him to membership in any known terrorist organization, and they, therefore, conclude that his act is not terrorism. If that is to be the definition we use in this war, then many will die at the hands of the enemy who will go unrecognized as combat victims. I suggest a more reasonable definition of a terrorist act is when a Muslim commits criminal acts against non-believers because of his belief in Islam. It is not the membership in Al-Queda that is essential, but the willingness to kill innocent civilians to advance a certain cause. The cause being advanced by all of these groups is Islam. Therefore, the mere fact that we cannot link up a particular individual to a recognized group is irrelevant, so long as we can link his desire to kill innocents to his belief in Islam, the great cause for which all terrorism is committed.
This seems strange.
I am a white guy in California with a white wife. We live in mostly a Mideastern neighborhood. The women will not speak to any non-family men an nobody speaks to my wife.
In my experience this is strange too that his Egyptian wife would talk to anyone.
The word is that the Afghan women are the most open but only after 20 years in the US.
Almost every single article that has been published about this story after July 5, 2002, has mentioned that the murderer had until recently had a sticker on his front door that said "Read the Koran." When this sticker was first mentioned I assumed that the sticker had been removed many months ago. Then I read an article today, that lead me to believe the sticker had been removed by the FBI.
When I was there today, I was surprised to see the entire backing of the sticker, which to my eyes had been freshly removed, leaving an oblong white square on the door about waist high, approximately the size of a small bumpersticker.
Go HERE to read what the Las Vegas sun says, "A bumper sticker on Hadayet's front door read, 'Read the Koran.'"
SEND ALL EGYPTIANS HOME NOW!
I don't know, Doc, but news reports say the police or FBI are the ones who removed it.
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