Posted on 03/30/2003 4:40:34 AM PST by GailA
Grenade attack on 101st may have been premeditated
By DAN MORAIN and LIANNE HART Los Angeles Times
Akbar reportedly called before attack requesting prayers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hasan Akbar, the U.S. Army sergeant accused of a grenade attack that killed two fellow soldiers and injured 14 in Kuwait, phoned his ex-wife's family the day before the attack and asked that they say ''final prayers'' for him, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
Akbar, a Muslim, told his former in-laws that he was concerned he might die without having made the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are expected to make at least once. He promised to send his ex-wife's family money to travel to the holy city in Saudi Arabia on his behalf.
Akbar's former in-laws have described the telephone call to federal investigators, who are intrigued by it, according to sources familiar with the investigation who spoke to the Los Angeles Times. Akbar's words, coming hours before the attack on his comrades, could be evidence of premeditation. But his comments also could be interpreted simply as the fears of a military man about to head into combat.
Authorities say Akbar, 31, rolled grenades into each of three tents at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait where officers and noncommissioned officers were asleep March 22, then shot at least two fellow soldiers as they fled their tents.
Capt. Christopher S. Seifert, 27, of Easton, Pa., died of gunshot wounds. Air Force Maj. Gregg L. Stone, 40, from Boise, Idaho, died of his wounds Tuesday.
Earlier this week, a military magistrate found that there was probable cause to believe that Akbar committed the attack, according to a statement issued at Fort Campbell, home of his unit, the Army's 101st Airborne Division.
Akbar was married in April 1996, but acquaintances from his days at the University of California, Davis, where he was a student on and off from 1988 to 1997, said he had separated from his wife by 1997. A former landlady said Akbar told her that year that he had divorced his wife according to Islamic law.
The divorce became final under California law in 2001, when he and his wife submitted dissolution papers to a superior courthouse in Northern California. The decree was file-stamped Sept. 11, 2001.
Akbar's former in-laws issued a statement Friday saying ''our hearts and prayers go out to the soldiers hurt or killed in the attack ... and to their families.''
''We understand that many people are interested … in our family experience; we knew him as a good and decent person who was very caring of his family. We are shocked and saddened at learning that he may have been involved in this terrible event,'' the in-laws said. ''We have no further insight to offer.'' Friends of the family say they fear retribution if their identities become widely known.
Akbar, who was raised in Los Angeles and Baton Rogue, La., is said to have made anti-American statements when he was overpowered and apprehended after the attack. Witnesses recalled that as he was being led away, he said: ''You guys are coming into our countries and you're going to rape our women and kill our children.''
(Excerpt) Read more at tennessean.com ...
Looks like everybody is using Daschle-speak these days.
Seems like grabbing four grenades, going to the officer's tent, and rolling them through the front entrance is premeditation enough for a firing squad.
But his [phone] comments also could be interpreted simply as the fears of a military man about to head into combat.
Doesn't this fly in the face of the original reports that Akbar wanted a combat role that had been denied him and that had upset him?
Retribution from whom? Why?
Comment during war coverage yesterday was that Akbar cut the electricity before the "alleged" attack. Maybe the firing squad can shoot "alleged" bullets
No Akbar, we don't fight like your kind. We don't rape the women and kill the children; we liberate them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.