FBI: LA Airport gunman was an Egyptian-born resident of Irving, California

Ha'aretz ^ | July 5th 2002 | News Agencies

[Dianna]

Ooops, I forgot. Do limo drivers make enough money to live in houses in Irvine?

And with a wife and kids back home, sending money to them too?

[Jeff Head]

I'm with you my friend ... time for some shut-eye.

[Jeff Head]

Hmmm ... not interested. Keep trying.

[Dianna]

wuss :P

[per loin]

No idea how much they make. I'd guess not a good living unless they own the limo(s).

[ArneFufkin]

Lone nut with a grievance against Israel?

PJeffQ, that was my early bet. The first reports indicated that this guy attcked the El Al fortress with a semi-automatic handgun, which he used to deadly success ... and a knife. A knife? He stabbed the armed El Al security chief before that man shot him to death.

Nobody in their right mind could believe that an armed assault on the El Al ticket counter would result in anything but a quick death. If maximizing victims was the objective, an open handgun approach was the option with least chance of success. Yet, that's the plan he chose. That's why I thought he was a wackjob who threw this assault together on a psychotic whim.

His two distinct and fully documented identity profiles trouble me though. How much of THAT stuff is going on with our immigrant pals? The separate identities don't scream pure and honest intent.

This is the kind of stuff we face. An Egyptian national who has two sets of identity documents and privileges. That's lovely. Nobody is anybody, everybody is nobody. We have no f'n clue who these visiting immigrants are, where they are, or what they are doing. Every one of them is probably three people.

[ZULU]

The next step for security is to require all ENTRANTS to air ports to be checked at metal detectors. The inconvenience to the American traveling public will be immense. The loss to travel, airlines, etc. will retard economic recovery.

The time for a rational response to this has long come and gone. CLOSE EVERY MOSQUE. Deport EVERY MUSLIM, "citizen" or not. God knows how many more of these b@stard Islamic sleepers have been planted here.

God d@mn all Muslims - especially those in America!

[Sabertooth]

Shooter's Birthday... July 4th!

[The Great Satan]

Shooter's Birthday... July 4th!

Also his deathday.

[MJY1288]

I'm sure the FBI has enough "Wisdom" NOT to place every ME muslim on the FBI's terrorist watch list. I would imagine if the FBI was to apply their "Wisdom" when placing a ME Muslim on the their Terrorist "Watch List" it would be "Wise" for them to make sure the ME Muslim had a link to terrorist first, don't ya think? As much as you would like to blame the FBI and the President for Hashem Mohamed Sayedet's actions today, I would suggest that you apply some "Wisdom" and let the facts come out before casting the blame on the FBI or the President.

"Words of Wisdom"

[Dianna]

Every one of them is probably three people

I think it's the info that's in his house which will prove to be the most troubling. What did the dogs hit on? And if he had bomb making materials, was he sucessful in making a bomb and where did it go?

[patriciaruth]

Don't you have to work tomorrow? Are you trying to kill yourself?

[MJY1288]

Nope. I gave myself the day off :-)

[LADY J]

"Nobody in their right mind could believe that an armed assault on the El Al ticket counter would result in anything but a quick death. If maximizing victims was the objective, an open handgun approach was the option with least chance of success. Yet, that's the plan he chose. That's why I thought he was a wackjob who threw this assault together on a psychotic whim."

Perhaps we have met our first known suicide martyr on American soil???

How many more will be meeting??

[heleny]

Jeff Head raised a troubling spectre today that crossed my mind as well. What if today's incident was a practice run to observe the evacuation and crisis response procedures, time frames and security vulnerabilities

I thought a dry run idea was very plausible, too, after seeing four police cars, some with flashing lights and beam lights on, parked haphazardly with an LAX airport car in front of the arrival lounge (on the lower level, not the upper level where the shooting occurred and where most of the police cars converged) of the Tom Bradley terminal around 11:35AM and seeing several more police cars with sirens and lights and an ambulance with flashing lights rushing toward LAX as we drove toward the freeway. We didn't know about the shooting until someone called us much later.

One relatively small incident with a sacrificial terrorist could draw a lot of police attention and traffic jams while some other terrorists carried out something elsewhere, too. The practice test idea is scarier, though, since they can evaluate the police response plans and develop future plots.

[patriciaruth]

Love those four day weekends!

[Sabertooth]

I would suggest that you apply some "Wisdom" and let the facts come out before casting the blame on the FBI or the President.

The perp is a foreign born Arab Moslem non-citizen.

Wisdom would have led some to the conclusion that we don't need these characters here, because that's the haystack where you're most likely to find the sleeper terrorists. Expel them and deport them.

Too bad such wisdom escaped out politicians... Transportation Secretary Mineta is even now arguing against even profiling. Political Correctness is a luxury we can't afford during wartime.

[cavador]

He is obviously an AL-Queida Sleeper.He has been in Irvine since '92.Has been waiting all this time,waiting for a signal to begin his attack.(Perhaps an email or something.)
Watch your back guys,there are possibly 10,000 or more just like him,sitting back,planning and waiting for a certain signal before they act.
Maybe the government should start kicking some of them out,or building very large walls around Irvine to keep them in Irvine(like a detention centre)

I'm just glad that I live in Oz. where terrorism virtually DOSEN'T exist.
Any way, GOD BLESS AMERICA and have a safe & HAPPY 4th JULY.

[bok]

The security personal are too busy patting down and harassing grandmothers and WWII vets and also destroying medals awarded to them for service.

[patriciaruth]

Ashcroft is profiling the granting of visas from what I have read.