Free Republic

Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue. The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills...

Sudden Jihad Syndrome http://cfoiblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/sudden-jihad-syndrome.html Monday, February 26, 2007 Sudden Jihad Syndrome Evidently this mental/emotional malady is on the rise: Sudden Jihad Syndrome It looks like the Muslim teen who opened fire on shoppers in a Salt Lake City mall is yet another case of “sudden jihad syndrome,� a condition in which normal-appearing American Muslims abruptly turn violent. Taken together, this and other cases add up to an invisible jihad inside America. But don’t tell that to the FBI. The politically correct bureau does everything it can to avoid recognizing the obvious Islamic factor in these heinous crimes. Sulejman Talovic, an...

Hillsborough — A man accused of driving a sport utility vehicle through a crowd of UNC students will be placed at Dorothea Dix Hospital after he made disparaging remarks in court Monday. During the hearing, Mohammed Taheri-azar yelled that he "hates all Americans" and "hates all Jews." Taheri-azar then looked at Superior Court Judge Ken Titus and asked him what his name was and then asked him to spell it. Taheri-azar then looked at his attorney and said, "I don't know him." Taheri-azar also called his attorney "a moron" and said "hasta luego," before he was removed from the courtroom....

AMuslim Student Runs Down Classmates at UNC http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/12801.htmlUNC attacker: 'I aimed to exact casualties'... And he refers to Mohammed Atta, ringleader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, aqs "one of my role models." http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/breaking_news/14563079.htmSuspect In UNC Hit-And-Run Smiles, Waves At Court Appearance http://www.wral.com/news/7743390/detail.htmlLetters from a mujahid http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/011397.phpTaheri - Azar ' used an SUV as murder weapon because he could not get a gun' reads Koran in court during victim testimony http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1795 BUtah killer's father was in Bosnian Muslim army... "That's why I'm convinced the war did this in Utah," said Murat Avdic, a friend of the family....

Mohammed Taheri-Azar Admits Trying To Injure Students HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- Mohammed Taheri-Azar, who admits trying to run over several students at the University of North Carolina campus, is scheduled to appear in an Orange County courtroom Wednesday for a bond hearing. Taheri-Azar is currently in Central Prison on attempted murder and assault charges. He said he spends his days praying and reading the Qu'ran. He also spends time writing 25-page letters to the media about why he carried out his attack. His most recent set of letters was addressed to the Daily Tar Heel. The 22-year-old said he feels "no...

Hillsborough, N.C. -- A University of North Carolina graduate charged with running down students on a campus plaza to avenge the deaths of Muslims told a judge Wednesday he plans to plead guilty. Mohammed Taheri-Azar, 23, is charged with nine counts each of attempted murder and felonious assault. He was in custody on $5.5 million bail. Taheri-Azar asked that he be allowed to represent himself, but he decided to keep his court-appointed lawyer

CHAPEL HILL - A man charged with trying to kill students at the University of North Carolina by driving through a popular campus gathering spot says in a series of letters he does not deserve punishment. He also talks about his youth in Charlotte, referring at one point to a school fight he said he started at Myers Park Traditional Elementary School. And he refers to Mohammed Atta, ringleader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, aqs "one of my role models." Mohammed Taheri-azar is accused of driving a Jeep Cherokee into a crowd of students gathered at...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The man who told authorities he drove a SUV into a crowd of students at UNC three weeks ago appeared in court. After the hearing, family members said they are shocked by their loved one's actions and words. Mohammed Taheri-azar, 22, appeared to laugh during a hearing earlier in the day as witnesses described the attack on the university's flagship campus. Taheri-Azar told investigators that he drove through the crowd at the Pit, a popular gathering spot on campus, because he wanted to kill people as payback for the killing of Muslims around the world. Laila...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The man who hit nine people with a sport utility vehicle on the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus wrote a letter to a television reporter saying he read the Quran's 114 chapters 15 times and found that the Muslim holy book justified the attack. ''I did not act out of hatred for Americans, but out of love for Allah instead,'' Mohammed Taheri-azar, 22, wrote in a letter to Amber Rupinta dated March 10 posted on WTVD's Web site. Police say that just before lunchtime March 3, Taheri-azar drove a rented 2006 Jeep Cherokee through the...

n the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate. To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter to inform you of my reasons for premeditating and attempting to murder citizens and residents of the United States of America on Friday, March 3, 2006 in the city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina by running them over with my automobile and stabbing them with a knife if the opportunities are presented to me by Allah. I did intend to use a handgun to murder the citizens and residents of Chapel Hill, North Carolina but the process of receiving a permit...

The North Carolina Muslim who drove an SUV into a group of people at the University of North Carolina has written a letter to a local TV station saying Allah approves of such attacks. "Allah gives permission in the Quran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have raged war against them, with the expectation of eternal paradise in case of martyrdom and/or living one's life in obedience of all of Allah's commandments found throughout the Quran's 114 chapters," wrote Mohammed Taheri-azar in a two-page letter sent to a television reporter and anchor at WTVD-TV, an ABC affiliate...

IT WASN'T A CAR BOMB, but the University of North Carolina must now come to terms with its first potential case of vehicular terrorism after an Iranian born, recent UNC graduate confessed to authorities his motive for driving a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee across the UNC campus into nine students was to "avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world." "The Pit" is a popular area on the UNC campus and on Friday, March 3rd, made a ripe target for 22-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, who simply said "Yes," when asked by reporters if he was trying to kill people. No...

Eyewitness News received the letter Monday, in response to our request for an interview. It was sent from Central Prison in Raleigh and dated Friday, March 10. Addressed to ABC11 Eyewitness News anchor Amber Rupinta, the two-page letter includes Taheri-azar's explanation of what he was trying to accomplish in the attack. "Allah gives permission in the Koran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have raged war against them, with the expectation of eternal paradise in case of martyrdom and/or living one's life in obedience of all of Allah's commandments found throughout the Koran's 114 chapters..." "The U.S....

"Individual Islamists may appear law-abiding and reasonable, but they are part of a totalitarian movement, and as such, all must be considered potential killers.” I wrote those words days after 9/11 and have been criticized for them ever since. But an incident on March 3 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill suggests I did not go far enough. That was when a just-graduated student named Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, and an Iranian immigrant, drove a sport utility vehicle into a crowded pedestrian zone. He struck nine people but, fortunately, none were severely injured. Until his would-be murderous...

"Individual Islamists may appear law-abiding and reasonable, but they are part of a totalitarian movement, and as such, all must be considered potential killers." I wrote those words days after September 11, 2001, and have been criticized for them ever since. But an incident on March 3 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill suggests I did not go far enough. That was when a just-graduated student named Mohammed Reza Taheriazar, 22, and an Iranian immigrant, drove a sport utility vehicle into a crowded pedestrian zone. He struck nine people but, fortunately, none were severely injured. -snip- This...

This week's Voldemort Award goes to the New York Times for its account of a curious case of road rage in North Carolina: "The man charged with nine counts of attempted murder for driving a Jeep through a crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last Friday told the police that he deliberately rented a four-wheel-drive vehicle so he could 'run over things and keep going.' " The driver in question was Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar. Whoa, don't jump to conclusions, the Times certainly didn't. As the report continued: "According to statements taken by the police, Mr. Taheri-azar,...

This week's Voldemort Award goes to the New York Times for their account of a curious case of road rage in North Carolina: "The man charged with nine counts of attempted murder for driving a Jeep through a crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last Friday told the police that he deliberately rented a four-wheel-drive vehicle so he could 'run over things and keep going.' " The driver in question was Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar. Whoa, don't jump to conclusions. The Times certainly didn't. As the report continued: "According to statements taken by the police, Mr. Taheri-azar,...

This week's Voldemort Award goes to the New York Times for their account of a curious case of road rage in North Carolina: "The man charged with nine counts of attempted murder for driving a Jeep through a crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last Friday told the police that he deliberately rented a four-wheel-drive vehicle so he could 'run over things and keep going.' " The driver in question was Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar. Whoa, don't jump to conclusions. The Times certainly didn't. As the report continued: "According to statements taken by the police, Mr. Taheri-azar,...

It seems the hallmark of academia is to make the patently obvious excruciatingly complex. But make no mistake about it. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar's Friday rampage through the UNC campus "pit" with a rented SUV during a time when a bustling crowd was a guaranteed lock was an obvious act of terror. That makes Taheri-azar a terrorist. Yet the reluctance of UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser to call the act and the man what they are is either political cowardice or yet another disturbing display of the special politically correct protection the Muslim faith enjoys at his campus. There's no confusion...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A man who admits that he intentionally plowed into nine people on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus last week told authorities he was disappointed that more people were not around when he carried out the alleged attack. In a search warrant released Tuesday, Mohammed Taheri-azar told authorities that for two years, he had been thinking about some type of attack because "the United States government had been killing his people across the sea." Taheri-azar told authorities he had been carefully planning the attack for two months and had rented the Jeep Cherokee in which he drove on...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Protests are planned for Monday in the same area of campus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where, authorities said, a former student plowed a sport utility vehicle into nine people Friday afternoon. The College Republicans, Americans for an Informed Democracy and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies are sponsoring the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday in "The Pit," a central area of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Police said Mohammad Taheri-azar, a 2005 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, admits...

Man Accused in UNC Attack Appears in CourtBy STEVE HARTSOE, Associated Press WriterCHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A University of North Carolina graduate from Iran, accused of running down nine people on campus to avenge the treatment of Muslims, said at a hearing Monday that he was "thankful for the opportunity to spread the will of Allah." Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar was accused of driving a sport utility vehicle through The Pit, a popular campus gathering spot, injuring nine people Friday. None of the victims was seriously hurt. Police Chief Derek Poarch said Taheri-azar told investigators he intentionally hit people to "avenge...

Protests are planned for Monday in the same area of campus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where, authorities said, a former student plowed a sport utility vehicle into nine people Friday afternoon. The College Republicans, Americans for an Informed Democracy and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies are sponsoring the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday in "The Pit," a central area of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Police said Mohammad Taheri-azar, a 2005 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, admits he acted to "avenge...

"Our ongoing investigation indicates that the suspect's motive was to avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world," said Derek Parch, UNC-Chapel Hill's Director of Public Safety at a news conference Saturday afternoon. "There is every indication in this early stage of the investigation that he acted alone. There is no indication whatsoever that he acted in concert with anyone." Taheri-azar, currently at Raleigh's Central Prison under a $5.5 million bond, was charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill.

But Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar appears to have acted alone, campus police say A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate told investigators he intentionally drove into a crowd of students on campus Friday to "avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world," UNC Police Chief Derek Poarch said Saturday. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, told detectives to go to the Carrboro apartment he shared with two other men, saying authorities would find evidence there that would explain his decision to hurt students. Poarch declined to say what, if anything, was found, but emphasized that Taheri-azar appears to have acted alone. It does not appear that...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A recent University of North Carolina graduate faces attempted murder charges after a sport utility vehicle raced through a popular campus gathering spot Friday, hurting nine people and scattering startled bystanders. Six people - five students and a visiting scholar - were treated at UNC Hospitals, though a hospital spokesman said none was seriously injured. Five were released Friday and the sixth wasn't expected to be admitted to the hospital, the university said in a statement. Three other people declined treatment at the scene, police said. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, who graduated in December as a...

Religious Terrorism Strikes Chapel Hill by Jillian BandesPosted Mar 04, 2006 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With backpacks as physical shields, University of North Carolina students are now called to defend themselves against religious terrorism while they walk the halls of their school. Earlier today, just before high noon, Mohammed Reza Taheriazar, 22, bulldozed the center of UNC's main campus with a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee -- the biggest SUV he could find -- in order to retaliate against treatment of Muslims around the world, he said.   Taheriazar, a recent graduate, sent six to the hospital with injuries and hit three...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A recent University of North Carolina graduate was charged with nine counts of attempted murder Saturday, a day after authorities say he drove through a popular campus gathering spot in an attempt to avenge Muslim deaths. Derek Poarch, chief of the university police department, confirmed Saturday that Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a 22-year-old Iran native, told investigators he wanted to "avenge the deaths or murders of Muslims around the world." Poarch would not provide any other details on the motive. Taheri-azar also is charged with nine counts of assault. No one was seriously hurt in the incident...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A recent University of North Carolina graduate faces attempted murder charges after he allegedly drove a sport utility vehicle through a popular campus gathering spot Friday, clipping and scattering startled bystanders. No one was seriously hurt. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, who graduated in December after studying psychology and philosophy, was in the custody of campus police. They intended to charge him with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, said police Capt. George Hare. Taheri-azar called police to surrender and then awaited officers on a street two miles from the campus,...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The FBI has joined the investigation of a recent college graduate who faces attempted murder charges for allegedly injuring bystanders after driving a sport utility vehicle through a popular campus gathering spot. No one was seriously hurt in the incident at the University of North Carolina on Friday. The FBI joined the case because 22-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a native of Iran, "allegedly made statements that he acted to avenge the American treatment of Muslims," said agent Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman in Washington. "The ongoing investigation will work to confirm this." Taheri-azar, who graduated in...

by Mark Finkelstein March 4, 2006 Who would have thought it?: in the crucial first half-hour of their respective shows this morning, Fox & Friends Weekend didn't cover the incident at the University of North Carolina in which an Iranian drove an SUV through a crowd, injuring five people - but the Today show did. Interviewed by co-host Lester Holt, one of the students who was injured stated he had no doubt the driver - recent UNC grad Mohammed Reza Taheriazar of Iran - acted intentionally. According to the injured student, the SUV had been moving very slowly through an...

A JIHADIST IN NORTH CAROLINA By Michelle Malkin   ·   March 03, 2006 08:29 PM Mohammed Reza Taheriazar, lone jihadist New details from ABC 11 in Raleigh, N.C., about the Muslim man who plowed into students on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus today: The driver of an SUV that plowed into a group of pedestrians at UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday told police it was retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world, according to ABC News. It happened around noon Friday in front of Lenoir Hall on the campus, in a common area known as the Pit. Paramedics took six people...

9:14 pm x43 9 injured by SUV at UNC-Chapel Hill Updated: 3/3/2006 7:32 PM By: Associated Press WATCH THE VIDEO More Information UNC Hit-and-Run The driver of an SUV that sped through the UNC-CH campus, hitting several people, allegedly planned the attack as retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A recent University of North Carolina graduate faces attempted murder charges after a sport utility vehicle raced through a popular campus gathering spot Friday, hurting nine people and scattering startled bystanders. Six people -- five students and a visiting scholar -- were treated at...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Authorities say 23-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheriazar drove a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee into The Pit at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus around noon Friday, injuring five students and a visiting scholar. Police said they would charge Taheriazar, who was a UNC student as recently as Fall 2005, with multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Authorities are not releasing a motive, but they did say the incident was intentional. Six people were taken to UNC Hospitals with minor injuries, hospital spokesman Tom Hughes said. Four of the students had been treated and...

A University graduate careened a rented silver Jeep Grand Cherokee through the Pit about noon Friday, striking nine pedestrians and sending six to UNC Hospitals. Mohammed Reza Taheriazar, 23, who graduated in 2005, is in custody at the Department of Public Safety after turning himself in after the incident. He was born May 5, 1983, according to University registrar records. He was a psychology and philosophy major. He was published in The Charlotte Observer for dean's list honors in spring 2005. He is still listed as a senior in the print directory. At about 2 p.m., a bomb threat was...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Authorities say 23-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheriazar drove a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee drove into The Pit at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus around noon Friday, injuring five students and a visiting scholar.