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California: LAX Shooter linked to bin Laden?
The Los Angeles Daily News ^
| Tuesday, July 9, 2002
| Phillip W. Browne
Posted on 07/09/2002 2:05:06 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

With rumors swirling of a possible link to the al-Qaida terrorist network, the FBI insisted Monday that investigators still don't know why Hesham Mohamed Hadayet went on an Independence Day shooting rampage at LAX.
ONLINE EXTRA |
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IN MEMORY |
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Memorial funds have been created to help support the family of Yaakov Aminov and to build a children's library in memory of Victoria Hen. Contributions to the Aminov Fund may be sent to Bank Leumi Encino Branch, 16530 Ventura Blvd., Encino, 91436, account number 8100983606; or National Bank of California, 14724 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 91403, account number 003206114. Contributions to the Victoria Hen Fund can be sent to 23277 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Direct deposits may be sent to Wells Fargo Bank, account number 1014243982.
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A report carried in a London-based Arabic newspaper called Al-Hayat and repeated widely on the Internet said authorities were investigating whether the Egyptian immigrant had met with suspected terrorist Ayman al-Zawahri in 1995 and 1998. Al-Zawahri is the founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a close associate of Osama bin Laden and is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. "We are not confirming or denying investigation of specific rumors that may be floating around," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley. "We are looking into all leads and all possibilities, but it would be premature to confirm anything at this point."
FBI officials said it appears Hadayet, 41, an Irvine limousine driver, acted alone when he opened fire Thursday at the El Al airline ticket counter at Tom Bradley International Terminal, killing Yaakov Aminov, 46, of North Hollywood, and Victoria Hen, 25, of Chatsworth.
"At this point we have not identified any accomplices, so as far as we know he acted alone," Bosley said. "We do not have any evidence to indicate he was working on behalf of any kind of group. But that's what we are trying to determine."
The FBI said it could not rule out terrorism but also was investigating the possibility it was a hate crime or whether Hadayet was despondent over his personal or business affairs.
Several reports about Hadayet also surfaced, but have been shot down. El Al officials have denied reports that the airline might have owed Hadayet money, which some speculated might have set him off.
And officials at Mercury Air Cargo, which is based at LAX, say Hadayet never worked for them, despite reports he had been employed by the ground services company during the time he was reportedly meeting with Al-Zawahri.
"We have never employed that person, at least not under that name," said Joe Czyzyk, CEO of Mercury Air Cargo. "I would be interested to know where that rumor started."
As the investigation continued in the United States and Egypt, Hadayet's wife said Monday that her husband is innocent and that he gave no hint of violence in a phone call hours before the shooting.
"My husband didn't do such a thing. This is nonsense," 41-year-old Hala Mohammed Sadeq El-Awadly told The Associated Press in Cairo.
"Hesham called on July 4, it was his birthday. His voice was very beautiful," she said. "He asked about the boys, asked me to take them out a lot and to review their lessons with them in order to be ready for next year."
El-Awadly said she did not believe her husband was responsible for the July 4 shooting.
"He is a victim of injustice," she said three times. "In America, they hate Islam and Arabs after Sept. 11."
Arab-Americans in the Los Angeles area have publicly condemned the killings as a crime, but not terrorism. The Web site of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee posted a statement denouncing the attack in the "strongest possible terms."
Israeli officials have described the attack as an act of terrorism.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: alhayat; alzawahri; hadayat; hadayet; islamakazis; jihadinamerica; laxshooter; mercuryaircargo; mercuryaircenter
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"In America, they hate Islam and Arabs after Sept. 11." And your point is?
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"We have never employed that person, at least not under that name," said Joe Czyzyk, CEO of Mercury Air Cargo. "I would be interested to know where that rumor started."
The power of Debka.com.
3
posted on
07/09/2002 2:10:34 PM PDT
by
Shermy
To: All
New items here:
El Al officials have denied reports that the airline might have owed Hadayet money, which some speculated might have set him off.
And officials at Mercury Air Cargo, which is based at LAX, say Hadayet never worked for them, despite reports he had been employed by the ground services company during the time he was reportedly meeting with Al-Zawahri.
"We have never employed that person, at least not under that name," said Joe Czyzyk, CEO of Mercury Air Cargo. "I would be interested to know where that rumor started."
To: *JIHAD IN AMERICA; Grampa Dave; Clovis_Skeptic; ladyinred; veronica; Travis McGee; harpseal; ...
JIHAD IN AMERICA:
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To: Shermy
This is the first I have even heard of Mercury Air Cargo.
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"My husband didn't do such a thing. This is nonsense," 41-year-old Hala Mohammed Sadeq El-Awadly told The Associated Press in Cairo. Well then....were the witnesses who saw him shoot and the security people who finally subdued him just making a movie?
She blames Americans for her husband's murdering these people? She sounds as hate filled as he obviously was!
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It just gets weirder & weirder, doesn't it?
8
posted on
07/09/2002 2:18:05 PM PDT
by
backhoe
To: Shermy; aristeides; Betty Jo
"We have never employed that person, at least not under that name," said Joe Czyzyk, CEO of Mercury Air Cargo. "I would be interested to know where that rumor started." I believe Debka mentioned Amercan Mercury, but it was our own Betty Jo who made the leap to Mercury Air.
To: JulieRNR21
This is part of our problem is the Islamakazis and their family members. Their CNS's can't handle reality. So they lie. Just like those were Mossad Pilots who flew into the WTC towers.
Your typical break with reality by an Islamakazi family member:
"My husband didn't do such a thing. This is nonsense," 41-year-old Hala Mohammed Sadeq El-Awadly told The Associated Press in Cairo.
This Islamakazi verbal insanity is stated inspite of hundreds of witnesses, pictures and video tapes!
To: backhoe
There's nothing weird about it.
This gentleman was an Islamic terrorist who killed two people in America.
WHY THE HELL IS THAT SO DAMN HARD FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND??????
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Was there ever any doubt this fellow was linked to some branch of Muslim terrorists world-wide once you heard he was an Egyptian?
To: backhoe
Nothing personal backhoe...
but all this crap is such BS!
To: Grampa Dave
Islamakazi Hi Grandpa..I like the word you coined!
To: Fred Mertz
Not the only thing in the article this reporter might have picked up from FR.
To: Fred Mertz
Debka says "...Mercury ground service company"...
At Los Angeles there's a "Mercury Air Center" providing
Aviation fuel Aircraft parking (ramp or tiedown) Passenger terminal and lounge Catering Rental cars on site Courtesy transportation Courtesy cars (free for pilots to use in the local area) Public telephone Pilots lounge / snooze room Restrooms "
Mercury Air Center LAX
Mercury Air Center, Inc.
There is also Mercury Air Cargo, part of but separate from the fixed base operations part. So it is possible that this "CEO" of Mercury Cargo is making an accurate statement, but the fellow actually worked, under his real name, for Mercury Air Center.
16
posted on
07/09/2002 2:27:58 PM PDT
by
Shermy
That second link should read "Merucry Air Group, Inc."
17
posted on
07/09/2002 2:29:04 PM PDT
by
Shermy
Even Rush gave this some air time today.
18
posted on
07/09/2002 2:38:57 PM PDT
by
mercy
To: phasma proeliator
None taken- it's just so entangled... Kafka-esque? Phil K. Dick? Mad Max?... it's plumb weird. I do get it, however ( see my profile ) unlike our clueless, PC alphabet-soup "agencies."
19
posted on
07/09/2002 2:39:21 PM PDT
by
backhoe
To: Fred Mertz
To clarify with info from the site, Mercury Air Group, Inc. has three parts---
"Currently, Mercury Air Group provides three basic aviation industry services through three wholly owned subsidiaries:
Air Cargo Services
Subsidiary: Mercury Air Cargo ...
Fixed Base Operations (FBO) Services
Subsidiary: Mercury Air Centers ...
Government Support Services
Subsidiary: Maytag Aircraft..."
______
So we can see that if the Mercury Air Cargo subsidiary said they never hired the guy, that doesn't mean Mercury Air Centers subsidiary didn't. Because Debka references "ground services", they must intend "Mercury Air Centers"
So the same question must be posed to them. Reporters: their telephone number can be found at my first posted link above.
20
posted on
07/09/2002 2:40:19 PM PDT
by
Shermy
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