[newsperson999]

notice how they only release this after the 4th is over..we wouldn't want to scare people now would we..it only took them 9 hours to tell us he was an Arab...I'm sorry but those "news" conferences they had were a joke. The sad thing is besides news junkies like us the average american believed them when they said they didn't know...sad sad sad

[College Repub]

They knew who he was from AT LEAST the time when Peres was saying it was terrorism. He (Peres) wouldn't risk saying something like that unless he knew for sure...

[patriciaruth]

Yes, the news conferences were a joke. The only excuse I can come up with is that maybe the FBI didn't want his friends alerted early that they were looking for him.

[Dave S]

I'm sorry but those "news" conferences they had were a joke. The sad thing is besides news junkies like us the average american believed them when they said they didn't know...sad sad sad

So are you, very much a joke. Your analysis sucks. Any body that was going to do anything for the 4th was already out of the house and doing it. Only home bound news hounds hoping for something to happen so they could bemoan it and blame the FBI for not entertaining them were watching the news conferences.

I still dont think this event today had anything to do with al-Qaeda or terrorism. I dont care if the guy was an arab. So what. They cant go postal too? If al-Qaeda is so stupid as to send one nut to to the EL Al ticket counter with a 45 and a 9mm for their big event, pardon me if I dont cower in fear, geez this is laughable. While its sad for the families of those killed, more people are killed in random acts of violence any day of the week in LA.

[Meem the Scream]

It just occurred to me that maybe the reason the authorities didn't disclose the perp was Arab until after the celebrations is because they were afraid of retribution among the Fourth of July crowds…looking around for Arab-looking people to beat up on. They're trying to forestall the inevitable backlash that will happen because our gooberment will not take the steps necessary to protect us.

[TheDon]

It was rather patronizing.