Posted on 07/06/2002 11:50:41 AM PDT by 07055
CAIRO, July 6 (UPI) -- Hisham Muhammad Ali Hadayet, the Los Angeles airport gunman who killed two people on July 4 before being shot and killed himself, was a pious Muslim but had no links with Islamic extremists, according to family members in Hadayet's native Egypt.
They were "totally surprised" by news of the shooting rampage, a relative told United Press International after seeing a report Friday on Egyptian state television.
Hassan Mustafa Mahfouz described the family as "shocked" and could not believe the news at first when the shooter was identified as Hadayet. The family spoke to him just hours before: July 4 was not only America's birthday but Hadayet's as well. The family wished him happy birthday and Hadayet sounded "normal," according to Mahfouz, who is his maternal aunt's husband.
He "was a very calm man and was not interested in politics or religion," Mahfouz said, adding Hadayet was pious and prayed five times a day, but was "not an extremist."
According to authorities in Los Angeles, Hadayet opened fire Thursday afternoon at the ticket desk of Israel's airline El Al. He killed 25-year-old Vickie Hen, an El Al ticket agent, and another man, Yakov Aminov, 46, before airline security agents killed him. He reportedly had two handguns with him but no baggage.
Soon after the news broke in Egypt, officials from Egypt's security forces or "mukhabarat" showed up at Hadayet's father's home, a modest apartment in the central Cairo district of Abbasiya, across from the largest Coptic Christian Cathedral in the country. The officials questioned the family and then took Hadayet's wife (Hala, a homemaker) and his sister (also named Hala, who works at a local hotel) to the interior ministry for questioning.
Mahfouz said the two were kept for a few hours and were asked routine questions. Officials barred them from talking to the press.
Neighbors of the family said that although Hadayet was religious, he did not often attend the local mosque while visiting Cairo, something he did every year or two since he moved to the United States.
In fact, Hadayet told his family when he called that day that he was coming home soon to spend a holiday with them and discussed travel plans with his father, said Mahfouz.
He also said Hadayet considered himself very happy in the United States and loved California. He had acquired a green card since 1997 and was to be eligible for full citizenship at the end of the year.
As of Saturday U.S. investigators were not ruling out terrorism, but were also considering the possibility Hadayet merely wanted to shoot Jewish people in a racist "hate crime," or was despondent over possible domestic problems at home, said FBI officials. So far they have found no ties between Hadayet and Islamist groups, they added.
Diaa Rashwan, Egypt's top authority on Islamist groups and a researcher at the Al Ahram Political and Strategic Center in Cairo, said too there was no indication that Hadayet had links with extremist Egyptian groups.
Similarly, Montasser Al Zayat, a lawyer and former member of one of the Egypt's most violent Islamist groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, said he had never heard of Hedayat.
The state-owned weekly Al Ahram reported Saturday that, according to Egyptians security sources, there was no record of Hadayet ever being in contact with Islamists.
Hadayet's father, Muhammad Ali Hadayet, had visited his son twice in the United States. A retired brigadier general in Egypt's Air Defense Force (the section of the Egyptian military responsible for ground-to-air defenses), Muhammad Ali Hadayet is now partly paralyzed. He is thought to be related to Salah Hadayet, one of the "Free Officers" who along Gamal Abdel Nasser staged the 1952 army coup that overthrew the monarchy in Egypt and forced the British out of the country.
Ofcourse not. Extremists ram planes into buildings. Moderates just shoot people in airports.
...according to Egyptians security sources....
Hah, right. Mubarak is a lying supporter of terrorists. One only has to remember the cruise ship hijacking in the 1980's (which resulted in a death of an American). Mubarak tried to cover up for them and lied to our gov't's face.
This is probably the most offensive sentence in an offensive article.
Very interesting. The guy couldn't make ends meet as a limo driver but could afford a plane ticket from LA to Cairo every year or two? Hmmmmmm...
That's right, he had the normal amount of Arab hatred for Jews and the normal amount of desire to murder them at random.
Ofcourse not. Extremists ram planes into buildings. Moderates just shoot people in airports.
...according to Egyptians security sources....
But it's interesting to note that the effectiveness of the action resembles neither that of the despised but deadly fanatical suicide bombers nor that of professional shooters or trained intelligence operatives.
And of course it's worth contrasting the views presented in this story with those offered by the shooter's employees in this one, Former Hadayet employee says the gunman hated Israelis
this arab went to lax to the el al counter...he carried two guns, a knive and ammo...he shot and kill a young girl and a man, both jewish...is this a normal day for a muslim? is there one verse in the koran with the word love in it? don't think so...oh, well...so much for islam....
Isn't it part of the Al-Queda training manual for these folks to appear to be moderately religious and disinterested in religious or political issues?
I thought there was one about the love of man and goat, but I could be mistaken.
mebbe those pink 'Mary Kay' cars???
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