Eye robbery in slays - N.J. family's home was looted - DA

New York Daily News ^ | 1/17/05 | NANCY DILLON and ADAM LISBERG

[kattracks]

Newly revealed evidence suggests the family slaughtered in their Jersey City home were victims of a robbery - though cops have not ruled out a more personal motive.

Hossam Armanious, 47; his wife, Amal Garas, 37, and daughters Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were bound, gagged and stabbed in the throat last week. Cops found them Friday after worried relatives hadn't seen them for days.

While the Egyptian Coptic Christian family was clearly robbed, police have not ruled out other possible motives. Friends of the family suspect the family may have been targeted for religious reasons.

And Channel 7 reported last night that a relative of the family had helped prosecutors in the case against Lynne Stewart, the lawyer charged with passing messages to followers of one of her clients, convicted terror kingpin Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman.

Prosecutors said yesterday the killer or killers appeared to have taken all the money from the house, except for a single penny found on the floor.

"The father's wallet had been emptied, and his pockets had been turned out," said First Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Guy Gregory. "Even the daughter's pocketbook was turned out."

Some in the community believe the family was targeted because Armanious, a headwaiter at a New Jersey hotel, was active on a Web site where Copts and Muslims trade angry religious arguments.

"They're trying to make us afraid, make us keep our mouths shut," said Nadia Sourial, 55, a parishioner at St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church.

Coptic community leaders announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to convictions in the murders. But church leaders and the victims' relatives tried to stop accusations yesterday during services.

"It's not time to make any speculations," said Bishop David, 37, a Coptic leader. "This is the time for the police."

The victims had crosses tattooed on their right wrists. But authorities said a cut near Sylvia's tattoo appeared to be a defensive wound, not a deliberate attack on the cross.

"I'm going through hell," said Garas' brother Ayman Garas, 35. "They were very peaceful. They had no enemies, were not involved with any problems."

Hundreds of people filled the church to hear the services in English and Arabic before 100 or so walked to the family's home on Oakland Ave. to pay respects to the slain.

"We do not have the proof, but the crime was committed in a certain way, the way Muslim fanatics kill people," said Monir Dawoud, spokesman for the American Coptic Association, who made a fiery speech during the memorial.

But some local Muslim leaders said Egyptian Christians and Muslims get along reasonably well in Jersey City. The leaders said they planned to attend the family's funeral today.

"I don't think this is religious at all," said Osama Hassan, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City. "Maybe a few young Christian kids might have the wrong idea, but I think their leaders will set them straight."

Originally published on January 17, 2005

[livius]

I noticed that, too. One of the people who was charged along with Stewart is a translator, who I believe is Egyptian (although I'm not positive).

A couple of years ago I was at a translators' conference where colleagues of this translator spoke; one of them was a Muslim Egyptian who had also translated for the crazy blind sheik at his trial, had manipulated the translation (to my mind), and told us proudly that he went up to the nutcase sheik after the guilty verdict and apologized for not being able to "help him" more! (All of the translators except me and the people I was with applauded, btw.)

These people were extremely anti-American, and then complained that the FBI was following them, etc. Sounds like maybe the FBI wasn't following enough of them.

[penelopesire]

PC..BS!!

[Sender]

From the Qur'an, Surah 8:

55. For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him: They will not believe.

56. They are those with whom thou didst make a covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear (of Allah).

57. If ye gain the mastery over them in war, disperse, with them, those who follow them, that they may remember.

58. If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for Allah loveth not the treacherous.

59. Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly): they will never frustrate (them).

60. Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies...

[Lessismore]

And Channel 7 reported last night that a relative of the family had helped prosecutors in the case against Lynne Stewart, the lawyer charged with passing messages to followers of one of her clients, convicted terror kingpin Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman.

I heard the same report. This seems to be a more likely thread to follow than the chat room story. Revenge killings of witnesses or relatives of witnesses is a much more traditional activity in New Jersey.

[Former Dodger]

Maybe it sounds that way because it is a basic liberal media downplay .

Christains are fair game, especially since the DUmmies and their ilk "blame" the "Christian Right" for sKerry's loss.

T o admit that Arab and other Middle East Christians are being terrorized and murdered by Islam would go against the talking points: the whole "Religion of Peace" barnyard droppings.

[Ichneumon]

Eye robbery in slays - N.J. family's home was looted - DA

I can't read this headline without getting a mental image of stolen eyeballs...

[OXENinFLA]

BULLSH!T.....

Since when did muslims NOT loot after they've slaughtered?

[Happy2BMe]

MSM NOT GETTING MUCH PC SPIN OUT OF THIS ONE - Hmmmmm - ping.

(Who knows the lay of the land better, the PC establishment of the relatives of the infidels?)

====================================================

While the Egyptian Coptic Christian family was clearly robbed, police have not ruled out other possible motives.

Friends of the family suspect the family may have been targeted for religious reasons.

[Happy2BMe]

Preacher 'encouraged Muslims to wage war on all non-believers'

Preacher 'encouraged Muslims to wage war on all non-believers'
By Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent
(Filed: 23/01/2003)

A Muslim preacher incited his followers to murder Jews, Hindus, Americans and all "unbelievers" by any means after the September 11 attacks, an Old Bailey jury was told yesterday. Abdullah El-Faisal even suggested fuelling power stations with the bodies of slaughtered Hindus, it heard.

	Abdullah El-Faisal

When arrested, El-Faisal, born William Forest in his native Jamaica where he was once a member of the Salvation Army, claimed everything in his speeches to gatherings of hundreds of young Muslims around the country came directly or indirectly from the Koran. He told police that if he was put on trial then the Koran would be on trial, too.

But David Perry, prosecuting, told the court: "This case is emphatically not about the Koran. Islam is one of the great religions of the world and the Koran, its holy book, contains the unalterable words of Allah. This case is not about the words of Allah, it is about words spoken by this defendant; plain, ordinary English words."

He alleged that those words encouraged murder and propagated racial hatred. Although El-Faisal, 39, preached as "a spiritual guide, a priest, an imam, a cleric, what is notably absent from his speeches is the absence of expressions of love, hope, charity, compassion or pity. He preached hatred and intolerance".

El-Faisal, known as a sheik, described the meetings as "study circles" but, said Mr Perry, "he did not confine himself to matters of theology".

"In his speeches he encouraged his listeners to wage war on non-believers, in particular Hindus, Jews and citizens of the United States," Mr Perry added. "War was to be waged by terrorising non-believers and killing them. He was preaching and encouraging his audience to murder."

El-Faisal made audio and video tapes of his speeches, which he distributed to specialist book shops. They were decorated with pictures of guns and tanks and the titles included Jihad, Declaration of War, No Peace with the Jews, Jewish Traits and Them versus Us.

He told his audience that women should bring up their sons with a jihad mentality - buying them toy guns, tanks and helicopter gunships.

He described a sheik who had advised Osama bin Laden against terrorism, hijacking and suicide bombings as an unbeliever with ties to America and told his listeners "liberty can never be achieved by democracy, the way forward is the bullet".

He added: "Islam was spread by the sword. Today it has got to be spread by the Kalashnikov." Assassination was lawful and one of the aims of jihad was "to lessen the population of the unbelievers". Anyone who killed an unbeliever "would go to paradise".

In earlier speeches El-Faisal described America as "the Great Satan" and told his followers: "You all have to strike against America anywhere in the world you are. You have to learn how to shoot, to fly planes, to drive tanks."

Mr Perry said the softly spoken preacher not only gave speeches but also answered questions from his audiences in London, Manchester, Worthing, Bournemouth, Cardiff and Birmingham.

El-Faisal, who is married with two children and lives in Stratford, east London, came to this country after graduating in 1991 in islamic studies at a university in Riyadh. He was associated with the Brixton mosque and later taught in Tower Hamlets.

The jury of seven men and five women, from which Hindus and Jews were excluded, will listen to 12 hours of tapes during the trial.

El-Faisal denies five charges of soliciting or encouraging persons unknown to murder another person or persons who do not believe in the Islamic faith, using threatening, abusive or insulting words and behaviour designed to stir up racial hatred, and distributing and possessing threatening, abusive or insulting tapes.

[OldFriend]

This 'robbery' story is a despicable coverup.

[OXENinFLA]

Well how do they square the robbery theory with this statement from the NY POST story?

Both the deacon and uncle poured cold water on the theory that the family were the victims of a robbery gone wrong.

"This is not a robbery, Ayed said. "We found all of the jewelry in the house. They didn't take anything."

[mrsmith]

The bigots' story is that this is a religiously oriented killing- the first one ever.

And they're sticking with that story no matter what.

[Aquinasfan]

police have not ruled out other possible motives. Friends of the family suspect the family may have been targeted for religious reasons.

Reading news accounts is like Kremlinology. The family's probably been screaming at the reporters, "Listen, they've been getting death threats from Muslims for months!"

[cbkaty]

unarmed..and no defence..

...to any and all threats to my family I will respond accordingly. I will not go out without a struggle.....nor overwhelming force.

I must conclude that this family was rendered helpless by the laws of the state....

[from occupied ga]

the family slaughtered in their Jersey City home were victims of a robbery

This whole thing has to be a hoax. The police will protect you in NJ (and the other "blue" police states) Since these people were obviously not protected by the police this couldn't have happened.

[Bahbah]

The jury of seven men and five women, from which Hindus and Jews were excluded....

WHAT!

[R. Scott]

It's quite possible that the killers went through the victims' wallets and purses after the killings, looking for addresses or any other information - and just took the money while they were at it.

Sounds reasonable. I wonder if their computer was accessed post mortem, or non family prints were found on any disks.

[Peach]

It is frustrating to hear that this may be a robbery after hearing the exact opposite over the weekend. And now a headless body was found in NJ over the weekend as well.

I have to wonder if this is the authorities way of trying to quell fears of a jihadist connection. If so, I fear withholding information will endanger more people.

[Happy2BMe]

Check the link on that post - the imam was let go on bail.

[Lazamataz]

They are trying to head off a Coptic counterattack on Muslims.

It ain't gonna work.