Relatives: Rampage suspect may have been stressed...(Details on Afghan-American who ran down 14)

Mercury News via Sweetness & Light ^ | August 29, 2006

[Sam Hill]

From the Bay area Mercury News [excerpted]:

Relatives: Rampage suspect may have been stressed over wedding

By James Hohmann and Katherine Corcoran

Relatives of a Fremont man connected to Tuesday's deadly driving rampage said he may have been distraught after returning recently from Afghanistan without his newlywed wife who is waiting for a visa.

Omeed Aziz Popal, 29, who sources said was being held by the San Francisco police, was normally a kind and gentle person, said Hamid Nekrawesh, 43, a first cousin in Fremont.

But a recent trip to Afghanistan to participate in an arranged marriage could have caused him a lot of stress, Nekrawesh said.

"He was a very respectful, quiet, nice guy,'' Nekrawesh said. "I've never seen him do anything violent.''

Zarghona Ramish of San Jose, who also identified herself as Popal's cousin, said he had been having strange dreams since returning a month ago from Afghanistan...

He was born in Afghanistan, but came to the United States at a young age. Three months ago, he returned to his home country to marry, relatives said, and his wife's family was very traditional and strict.

"He grew up as a Western boy in the United States and went to Afghanistan to get married culturally over there,'' Nekrawesh said...

An earlier video report from San Francisco's KTVU does not describe the perpetrator in any way. It offers no physical description of the driver or even any mention of his name.

All that is allowed to be said about him is to have some witnesses remark upon his placid demeanor.

The KTVU piece does deign to mention that the indescribable driver ended up near a Jewish Community center. And that "one witness said he referred to himself as a terrorist."

Of course the reporter quickly goes on to assure us, "but police say this case might have been many things, but it wasn't an act of terrorism."

But why is this so certain?

Note that the Mercury article mentioned Popal's is his first cousin, Hamid Nekrawesh.

Mr. Nekrawesh appears to be a devout follower of Islam, or at least greatly interested in it. He is also interested in the progress of the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Nekrawesh is also a contributor (of $50) to the anti-war Bush-hating crackpot Lyndon Larouche.

The other relative mentioned, Zarghona Ramish, has been issued an order from the state of California (view pdf file) to desist and refrain from her pyramid scheme:

7. During 2001, 2002, and 2003, Ramish, Ghias, Farzana, Tamiz, Abawi, and Aziz were active participants in an organization operating under the name of Women Helping Women (WHW), Women Empowering Women (WEW), Women Helping Women Dinner Party (DP), or The Women’s Garden Party or Garden Circle (WGP).

8. WHW, WEW, DP, and WGP operated as a pyramid scheme.

9. Women in these groups operated by inviting women to a "potluck" gathering at individual’s homes and/or community centers or conference rooms. The gathering was described as a "support group." During the gatherings, women would be recruited to contribute money to the group.

Women Helping Women (WHW) raised money for women suffering in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. (As we know, the plotters who wanted to blow up all those planes from the UK to US last week were also raising for Pakistan quake relief, and funded their plans with some of it.)

But perhaps I am needlessly suspicious.

Still, it was just six months ago we were talking about another mixed up and murderous SUV driver of Middle Eastern heritage.

Nobody wanted to call the clean-cut UNC student Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar a terrorist, either.

[Sam Hill]

Of course Popal might just be crazy.

But a lot of terrorists are.

[Sam Hill]

Ping.

[backhoe]

Here is what I have picked up from the blogosphere so far- note the last entry:

"Sudden Jihad Syndrome?"

Yes. Sudden Jihad Syndrome.

Just like Seattle.

A HIT-AND-RUN SPREE in San Francisco:

UPDATE: A terrorist attack? It does seem a bit reminiscent of the "Jeep jihadi." Well, to look on the bright side, better crashing cars into people than planes into buildings, I guess.

MORE: Gateway Pundit has a roundup. Reportedly, three other people have been taken in for questioning.

Breaking: Hit and Run Spree in San Francisco

More at MercuryNews.com: One dead, 13 hurt in apparent deliberate hit-and-run.

Up to 14 hurt in SF hit-and-run spree. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)   link: 294 comments  "Is he a youth? Is he a person from a diverse background? Does he represent a broad stratum of society? With a name like Ohmeed Aziz Popal I am willing to bet he is a practitioner of the Religion of Peace (TM)."

#266

Daisy  8/29/2006 09:10PM PDT

 

#16 Ed Mahmoud

"Sudden Jihad Syndrome?"

Yes. Sudden Jihad Syndrome. For the basics (now replicated many times over) see:

http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3450

This guy was on probation last year, for another traffic violation...
http://www.stanct.org/case_index/2005/P/ PO.html

---

For whatever it's worth, I'm not sure this is SJS yet, or just another nutcase- but it is suspicious...

[AmeriBrit]

Thanks Sam.

Returned to Afghanistan 3 months ago for an arranged marriage to someone he didn't know, and him having to come back without her has sent him off the deep end?......he couldn't have been very stable to start with or completely nuts IMHO.

[Razz Barry]

He was born in Afghanistan, but came to the United States at a young age. Three months ago, he returned to his home country to marry, relatives said, and his wife's family was very traditional and strict.

"He grew up as a Western boy in the United States and went to Afghanistan to get married culturally over there,'' Nekrawesh said...

How many more years do we allow this people to kill Americans before we stop letting them immigrate?

[Cindy]

THANKS backhoe.

[AmeriBrit]

Either I'm very tired from all the research and reading I've been doing or I've got a chronic case of 'Sudden Anti-Jihad Syndrome' [SAJS] coming on.

[backhoe]

THANKS backhoe.

You betcha- judging from the comments sections on the blogs, most readers view the "isolated incident" spin with deep suspicion.

Somewhat OT ( but maybe under the heading Domestic Terrorism ) our friend Atlas is being harried by the Oh! So! Tolerant! Left:

#3

Pastorius  8/29/2006 09:07AM PDT

 

The Left Wages A Jihad Against Atlas Shrugs --the left can't sit with the simple explanation that Pamela is a good journalist, with connections, who lives in New York, and that these things account for the fact that she gets the interviews she gets. No.

Instead, they have to invent an alternate narrative. They have to invent a whole other Pamela. They say she is a drunk, that she's stupid, and that she is incoherent. That she gets the interviews because she is too stupid to ask the questions. That she is just a pawn in a bigger game controlled by larger forces behind the scenes.

Is this sounding familiar? Doesn't this sound eerily similar to what they say about George Bush?

[raybbr]

This isn't going to stop until Americans start dragging these bastards out of their cars and clubbing them to within an inch of their life.

[Cindy]

OH MY, now that is NOT nice.

I'll have to add this to my links.

THANKS backhoe.

[SE Mom]

Stress? STRESS?! They'll call it ANYTHING but a deep-seated hatred for infidels. The new code-word for jihad inspired actions= Stress.

Also- the same affliction that struck the man in Seattle who shot 5 people at the Jewish Center...

[visualops]

Just wondering what would be the reason a traffic infraction would go to municipal court rather than traffic court?

[backhoe]

I'll have to add this to my links.

I appreciate that- I was hoping you would.

It still astounds me how low, personal, and mean ( in both the common usage, "vicious," and the older definition, "common." ) the LLL³ is towards anyone they perceive as not being in the same camp as they are.

[Reform4Bush]

Vehicular Jewicide and Vehicular Jihadicide ping.

[Cindy]

I'd like to say I am amazed at how "low, personal, and mean" people (especially on the internet where some idiots think they are "anonymous") can be; but sorry to say, I'm not.

[poobear]

Sounds like a trip to 'Club Gitmo' is in order for the 'stress of jihad'.

[dennisw]

Yep this lil' ol' demon had "sudden Jihad Syndrome" Daniel Pipes came up with that phrase. Where an outwardly normal, law abiding Muslim male goes nuts and has an urge to kill infidels.
The solution to his problems is the same other sudden Jihadists. To kill infidels in a cowardly way.

It's as if their reptilian Muslim brain takes over

[FreeAtlanta]

To quote the CAIR spokesman, "You are just cherry picking!" On the other hand, Eric Rudolph is a typical example of Christians. </sarcasm>

[MaDeuce]

"This isn't going to stop until Americans start dragging these bastards out of their cars and clubbing them to within an inch of their life death and parading their head on a stick." Correction noted.

[Alouette]

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