Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Shooting at LA airport El Al counter ruled terrorist act
AP via Haaretz.com ^ | April 12,2003 | The Associated Press

Posted on 04/12/2003 4:07:33 AM PDT by John W

LOS ANGELES - An Egyptian immigrant's deadly attack on an Israeli airline ticket counter last year has been ruled a terrorist attack related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an FBI spokesman said Friday.

"Given his political views and the fact that El Al is an Israeli government-owned airline, that met the criteria for a terrorist attack," said Matthew McLaughlin, a spokesman for the Los Angeles field office of the FBI.

Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, 41, opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport's El Al ticket counter on July 4 last year, killing two people before being shot dead by an airline security guard.

The Department of Justice had withheld characterizing the shooting while federal agents launched a worldwide probe to determine whether it was a terrorist attack, hate crime or motivated by personal reasons.

The FBI findings were made several months ago and were recently approved by the Justice Department. McLaughlin said his office was told not to issue a press release but was given permission to confirm the decision if asked.

He said Hadayet acted alone and had no ties to any terrorist organization.

The investigation, however, found that Hadayet supported the Palestinian cause in the Israel-Palestine conflict and had become increasingly militant in recent years.

"The investigation developed information that he openly supported the killings of civilians in order to advance the Palestinian cause," McLaughlin said.

He said Hadayet bought the weapons used in the attack just weeks before the shooting, closed his bank accounts and sent his family overseas. He walked into the terminal with a .45-caliber semiautomatic Glock pistol, a 9 mm handgun and a six-inch knife.

The two people killed were Yaakov "Jacob" Aminov, 46, and Victoria Hen, 25, who worked behind the counter. Several other people were injured.

Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said he believed all along the shooting was a terrorist attack and was satisfied the Department of Justice ruled it one.

"It's an attack on Americans because there's no way he could determine that only Jews travel on El Al," Hier said. "He was out to commit a terrorist attack to make a point and threaten Americans. ... (It) caused tremendous panic around the country. People didn't travel and they didn't go to the airport."

The finding also contradicts the notion that Hadayet acted for personal reasons or because he was despondent over financial problems, said Hier, leader of the Jewish human rights organization.

Hadayet, who lived in Irvine, was $10,000 in debt at the time of the shooting and his once profitable Orange County limousine businesses had been struggling, authorities said.

He applied for asylum with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the early 1990s, but his application was rejected. He skipped a 1995 removal hearing and stayed in the United States with a work permit. He became a permanent U.S. resident after his wife won her residency in the U.S. visa lottery program.

In a 1993 interview for asylum, Hadayet told U.S. immigration officials that Egyptian authorities arrested him and accused him of involvement with Al-Gamma'a al-Islamiyaa, the Islamic Group. The group at the time was waging a violent effort to topple the secular Egyptian government and replace it with Islamic rule.

Hadayet said he was falsely accused of belonging to the group, which is now on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1993; 2002; 200207; 20020704; airportsecurity; algammaa; alislamiyaa; egypt; eig; elal; gwot; hadayet; heshamhadayet; heshammohamed; homelandsecurity; imaginethat; islamicgroup; jihadinameica; lacell; lashooter; laxshooter; mastersoftheobvious; orangecounty; palestinians; plo; refugees; surprisesurprise
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last

1 posted on 04/12/2003 4:07:33 AM PDT by John W
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: John W
It took them nearly a year to reach the obvious conclusion every one else figured out back last July? Oh my goodness. I suppose that's progress.
2 posted on 04/12/2003 4:09:39 AM PDT by goldstategop (Lara Logan Doesn't Hold A Candle Next To BellyGirl :))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop
This deserves a

DOH!

alert

3 posted on 04/12/2003 4:10:37 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (A High Tech Redneck and a Software (ahem) Engineer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: All

PLEASE SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794
or you can use
PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com

Become A Monthly Donor
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD-
It is in the breaking news sidebar!

4 posted on 04/12/2003 4:11:26 AM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: John W
Can you believe this? A year?
5 posted on 04/12/2003 4:24:24 AM PDT by gulfcoast6 (Those who deserve love the least need it the most.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gulfcoast6
The wheels of the federal bureaucracy with its small minds moves slowly.
6 posted on 04/12/2003 4:25:22 AM PDT by goldstategop (Lara Logan Doesn't Hold A Candle Next To BellyGirl :))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop
It took them nearly a year to reach the obvious conclusion every one else figured out back last July?

Not everyone

As I recall, there were several FR posters who were very loud about suspending judgement.

Hope they see this thread.

7 posted on 04/12/2003 4:54:05 AM PDT by Freebird Forever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: John W
Maybe sometime next year we'll learn that the muslim soldier who killed his officers in Kuwait was motivated by something other than an ingrown toenail.
8 posted on 04/12/2003 5:37:25 AM PDT by dagnabbit (Leftist racists feel Iraqis aren't worthy of freedom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: John W
Most people already knew it was terrorism. This is big news-- seriesly.
9 posted on 04/12/2003 5:39:49 AM PDT by Clara Lou (Democrats... united as ever in opportunism and error.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop
Don't be harsh... it too us atleast four posts to figure this out. < /sarcasm>
10 posted on 04/12/2003 5:40:32 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: John W
Shooting at LA airport El Al counter ruled terrorist act

Just about anybody on FR could have told 'em that -- last year!

Here's a happy thought from Middle East expert Daniel Pipes:

Islamists constitute a small but significant minority of Muslims, perhaps 10 to 15 per cent of the population. Many of them are peaceable in apearance, but they all must be considered potential killers.

How does 400,000 to 800,000 -- in our country -- potential killers sound?

Pipes article here...

Muslim population in America

Meet an Islamist -- peaceable in appearance, killer

America's Fifth Column ... watch Steve Emerson/PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
Download 8Mb File Here (Requires RealPlayer)

Who is Steve Emerson?

11 posted on 04/12/2003 6:09:29 AM PDT by JCG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JCG
I can only pray that the liberation of Iraq doesn't blind us to the fact that we have sleepers in this country and that the threat of terrorism is NOT ended.
12 posted on 04/12/2003 6:18:16 AM PDT by ImpotentRage
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: John W
An Egyptian immigrant's deadly attack on an Israeli airline ticket counter last year has been ruled a terrorist attack related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an FBI spokesman said Friday.

Of course it was terrorism. Israel knew this the same day.

13 posted on 04/12/2003 6:20:14 AM PDT by Prince Charles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
BREAKING: Shooting at LAX, several possibly injured.
14 posted on 04/12/2003 6:35:42 AM PDT by Prince Charles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: John W
A "Well, DUH!" bump
15 posted on 04/12/2003 6:46:05 AM PDT by sam_paine
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: John W
Who woulda thought?
16 posted on 04/12/2003 6:54:18 AM PDT by Ben Chad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: John W
The FBI findings were made several months ago and were recently approved by the Justice Department. McLaughlin said his office was told not to issue a press release but was given permission to confirm the decision if asked.


What's up with this?!
17 posted on 04/12/2003 7:04:54 AM PDT by republicofdavis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Clara Lou
Most people already knew it was terrorism. This is big news-- seriesly.

But it's not a hugh story, since we already knew the obvious!

18 posted on 04/12/2003 7:05:05 AM PDT by Gamecock (As seen on Taglinus FreeRepublicus - 5th Edition)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop
These old boys are quick aren't they? You don't think politics gummed up the wheels of justice do you?
19 posted on 04/12/2003 7:15:08 AM PDT by dljordan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: John W
Ya think?
20 posted on 04/12/2003 7:24:44 AM PDT by Teacher317
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson