G.I. (finally named: Asan Akbar) Held In Attack On U.S. Soldiers

CBS ^ | March 23, 2003 | CBS

[Atlas Sneezed]

A U.S. soldier was detained Sunday on suspicion of throwing grenades into three tents at a 101st Airborne command center in Kuwait, killing one fellow serviceman and wounding 15, three of them seriously.

The motive in the attack "most likely was resentment," said Max Blumenfeld, a U.S. Army spokesman.

The soldier in custody was identified Sunday as Sgt. Asan Akbar of the 326th Engineer Battalion. Fort Campbell, Ky., spokesman George Heath said Akbar had not been charged with any crime. He did not release Akbar's hometown or say how long he had been in the service.

Akbar, who as a sergeant commanded four to seven soldiers, had not been charged, Fort Campbell spokesman George Heath said. If he is found guilty of any crime, he would be brought back to Fort Campbell "for judicial punishment," Heath said.

Heath said Akbar had been "having what some might call an attitude problem." He did not say how long Akbar had served in the military.

"Incidents of this nature are abnormalities throughout the Army, specifically in the 101st," Heath said. "Death is a tragic incident regardless of how it comes, but when it comes from a fellow comrade, it does even more to hurt morale. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the soldier. We pray that incidents of this nature do not happen again in any military organization."

Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, was killed in the attack while sleeping in his tent, the Defense Department said.

Seifert's parents, Thomas and Helen Seifert of Easton, Pennsylvania, declined comment, a family spokesman said.

CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann, traveling with the 101st, was a few tents away when the blast occurred.

"I heard two powerful booms, then screaming," Strassman reports.

A search was quickly begun and before long, it had focused on a single soldier, a sergeant engineer living in the camp. He was found, injured, hiding in a bunker.

"When this all happened we tried to get accountability for everybody," Col. Frederick B. Hodges, commander of the division's 1st Brigade told Britain's Sky News. "We noticed four hand grenades were missing and that this sergeant was unaccounted for."

In Washington, a spokesman for the Pentagon said only that the attack was under investigation.

Initially, the military suspected the attack was the work of terrorists using two grenades and small-arms fire, Heath said. Two Middle Eastern men who had been hired as contractors were detained and released.

An Interior Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity said Sunday that Americans were still investigating all locally contracted workers in the camp, such as cleaners, drivers and volunteer translators. Two Kuwaiti translators also were questioned and released.

The attack happened in the command center of the 101st Division's 1st Brigade at Camp Pennsylvania at 1:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. EST Saturday).

"I immediately smelled smoke," Hodges said. "I heard a couple of explosions and then a popping sound which I think was probably a rifle being fired. It looks like some assailant threw a grenade into each of these three tents here."

One grenade went off in the command tent, said Blumenfeld, the Army spokesman. The tent, the tactical operations center, runs 24 hours a day and would always be staffed by officers and senior enlisted personnel.

Ten of the injured had superficial wounds, including punctures to their arms and legs from grenade fragments, Heath said. Names of the wounded also were not released, and the Army did not say if any high-ranking officers were hurt.

The 101st Airborne is a rapid deployment group trained to go anywhere in the world within 36 hours. The roughly 22,000 members of the 101st were deployed Feb. 6. The last time the entire division was deployed was during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, which began after Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait.

Most recently, the 101st hunted suspected Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan. Its exploits are followed in Kentucky with much pride.

Camp Pennsylvania is a rear base camp of the 101st, near the Iraqi border. Kuwait is the main launching point for the tens of thousands of ground forces — including parts of the 101st — who have entered Iraq.

News of the attack at the camp compounded the anxiety of relatives of the division's soldiers.

"I get a little worried but when I think I should be crying, I'm not," said Chelsey Payne of Clarksville, Tenn., whose husband, Sgt. Robert Payne, is with the division. "I just don't get scared about my own husband, I just know that he's a good soldier and he's coming home. He promised me."

[Jerry Attrick]

I am shocked! No mention at all that this treasonous b*ast*rd was a muslim. Hmmmmmmmmm....

[angelwings49]

Heard earlier on FOX that this was not a case of "resentment" -- they say he "didn't believe" in killing muslims and was against the war. I hope he fries.

[goodseedhomeschool]

I posted many times that we need to beware of muzslimes in our military. THEY ARE ANTI-AMERICAN! SLEEPER CELLS , WOLVES IN THE FOLD. I would not want to share a fox hole with one, that's for sure.

[Maeve]

The motive in the attack "most likely was resentment," said Max Blumenfeld, a U.S. Army spokesman.

Lacey from Time Magazine who is embedded with the 101st said that this statement from Blumenfeld was groundless and that the reason for the attack in his opinion was because of the Muslim soldier's Muslim faith.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Read the Koran... it looks like it is jam packed with "resentment" against the infidel.

[kinghorse]

Sounds like a partisan infiltrator.

[ozzie]

I wonder if military justice still includes death for treason during wartime. Hope so.

[zingzang]

A friend and I were talking about this earlier today, and he said that at the outbreak of the war ALL of the Muslim service members should have been honorably discharged. I think that if nothing else all of them should have been seriously interviewed to determine their attitudes. Perhaps something like this could have been avoided.

[nomad]

But isn`t it supposed to be a religion of peace? Thats sarcasm,of course.

[goodseedhomeschool]

I was hoping they would blow his head off when they had him in that "knee position". The filthy muzslime SOB

[ladyinred]

IF he is guilty of any crime?
He should get military justice----NOW!
And I don't mean a trial with a defense attorney.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Akbar was identified this morning.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well this is a sticky pickle. We have an all volunteer military now, but once in you can't get out before the end of your term unless you become a C.O. which means principled opposition to ALL wars, not just some wars. Well you get a guy in the Marines and he experiences a revival of Islam which says not to wage war against other Muslims... and he finds himself assigned to do just that... now what do we do? There are probably dozens more nut cases like this, and political correctness means we can't get them out. I'm surprised we haven't run into this problem in Afghanistan.

[Cindy]

LINKS OF INTEREST:

INA TODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS -- TODAY: "AL QAEDA CALLS FOR WORLD-WIDE CAMPAIGN OF ESPIONAGE, SABOTAGE Assassinations Could Follow" by Toby Westerman (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Al Qaeda's call to the "brothers" is in retaliation for the U.S.-led attack against the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The emotional appeal for "unity" following America's decision to attack Saddam gives evidence of a strong link between Baghdad and the terror network. In addition to spying on traditional military targets, Muslim spies, or "scouts" are to carefully watch high-ranking officers -- including supreme commander Tommy Franks -- and carefully note their habits. The officers' places of recreation and travel routes are of special interest to Al Qaeda, according to the Islamic Internet messages Die Welt cites. Observers note that Al Qaeda's keen interest in the movements of top U.S. and allied commanders raises the specter of assassination, a possibility made especially vivid by the recent murder of the Balkan reformer and Serb Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Central Intelligence Agency resident operatives and their agents in Gulf states are also of interest. All those connected with the CIA "must be tracked down," declares the Al Qaeda message. Muslims working in allied bases in the Gulf are urged to provide a "long and detailed" list of information helpful to professional saboteurs, including the disposition of land, sea, and air forces. The "scouts" are to report all naval activity, the location of ships and where they dock, and pinpoint all operations centers. Muslims employed at allied military bases outside of the Gulf region are instructed to "locate command posts" and munitions areas, gather information on "how and where" aircraft and helicopters are fueled, note which units are stationed at the installation, and locate the position of Patriot missile batteries.") (March 20, 2003) (Read More...)

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "U.S. SOLDIER DETAINED IN PROBE OF GRENADE ATTACK" (ARTICLE NOTE: The detained soldier is identified as Sgt. Asan Akbar of the 326th Engineering Battalion.) (March 23, 2003)

ISLAM ONLINE Fatwa Applications: ASK THE SCHOLAR: "ATTACKING U.S. BASES IN ARAB COUNTRIES" (March 23, 2003) (Read More...)

stepping back in time...US INFO.state.gov: "U.S. ISLAMIC LEADERS ISSUE FATWA ON U.S. MUSLIM SOLDIERS FIGHTING TERRORISTS" by Phillip Kurata, Washington File Staff Writer (October 16, 2003) (Read More...)

[Diogenesis]

Dan Rather, on the frequency of terror: "Mr. President, if only you knew how
much I and others at CBS suport you rather than our Bush"

Terrorist Saddam: "Mr, Rather, it is absolutely remarkable that you media girly men
will repeatedly betray the USA, your President, and even the American people during war
for so little. We usually must gang rape a man's children and his wife, then burn and mutilate them
and then electrify his testicles and even cut off a few fingers before
he betrays his people. We are very lucky to have you and the other CBS fakers, Mr. Rather.
In the next few weeks, continue to undermine the US and Bush and the US troops each night,
as you and CBS dutifully have done for us so well in the past. Have old man Cronkite
help too. Tell Walter to take a break from our project on Martha's Vineyard
where he fights alternative energy to our gasoline for us. "

---

CBS's TERROR IDOLS

[old school]

Political correcteness will be the death of us all! That nutcase, @$$hole should have been dishonorably discharged long ago!

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Is he a "Calypso Louie" muslim?

[goodseedhomeschool]

It's nerve racking to think with all the things our troops have on their minds, watching their backs from one of our own, really escalates the problem.