F.B.I. Says Arson Killed Woman Accused in License Scheme

New York Times ^ | Friday, February 15, 2002

[JohnHuang2]

February 15, 2002

F.B.I. Says Arson Killed Woman Accused in License Scheme

By REUTERS

EMPHIS, Feb. 14 — A deliberately set fire caused the death of a driver's license examiner who had been accused of illegally selling licenses to five Middle Eastern men who were being investigated for possible ties to terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has said.

Gasoline was poured on the clothing of the examiner, Katherine Smith, before she burned to death on Sunday in an automobile accident, J. Suzanne Nash, an F.B.I. agent, said on Wednesday.

Ms. Smith died one day before she was to have appeared in court with her five co-defendants after being arrested last week on charges of conspiracy to obtain driver's licenses illegally.

In a federal court hearing here on Wednesday, Ms. Nash said an accelerant had been found in Ms. Smith's car, adding that her death was "not an accident."

Investigators have said the gasoline tank of the automobile did not explode. Ms. Nash also said witnesses had reported that the interior of Ms. Smith's car was on fire before the vehicle struck a utility pole, causing just minor damage to the car.

Ms. Nash told the court on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into whether the five men who were arrested had ties to terrorist groups, citing connections to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The five men, one of whom said he was a plumber at the trade center and had a visitor's pass to the towers dated Sept. 5, are being held without bond.

A lawyer for one of the defendants has denied that they had any connection to terrorism and said they were seeking documentation to work in the United States.

[smithson]

I bet that beast of a woman burnt for hours. Just think of the smell.

[weegee]

Probably got frightened when she was arrested and even more so when the passenger compartment of her car burst into flames so fierce that she inhaled fire.

I don't think that she understood just what kind of people she was dealing with (and that holds whether it was Middle Eastern terrorists, the Dixie Mafia, etc.).

[weegee]

I don't know the timeline of events at this point.

Some witnesses saw the car on fire before impact.

The flames were intense enough that she inhaled fire and burned her lungs.

The body was burned to such a degree that she had to be identified from dental records.

I do not know if the witnesses called in the accident or relayed the information after the case began to grow.

I do not know when the fire occurred or how long it was before the police/fire department arrived. I do not know how long after they arrived that they managed to get the fire under control.

The fire looks like it was intense (judging from the shell of the car). It seems like she had to cook awhile to burn to that degree but than again, if the fire is hot enough it may not be the case. We aren't talking about an explosion here because the fire continued to burn after the initial flashpoint. It had to be sudden since most people will try to flee a burning vehicle unless they are otherwise impaired. The car was mobile when the fire torched (she crashed afterwards, with little impact).

[angkor]

the car may have been payment for even worse deeds by this woman.

I'd say they made a deal to exchange licenses for the Acura.

And perhaps it was still in Odtllah's name because she hadn't done enough licenses to consumate the deal.

1992 Acura Legend 4 Dr LS Sedan
Prices for:	Trade-In	Private Party	Dealer Retail
Base Price (excludes options)	$6,768	$8,011	$10,083

[weegee]

This wasn't the first deal of this sort that she had done with him (it was about the 6th or 7th). Multiple licenses each time.

It's been stated that she would get $1,000 per license in this transaction (and that he would keep "the rest" for negotiating the deal).

[SauronOfMordor]

I'm wondering if Katherine Smith was involved in Nation of Islam. If so, that would provide a motive for offing her: to conceal support links between NOI and Islamic terror groups. If there's anything there, then I would believe Farrakhan(sp?) would take extreme measures to avoid being linked to 9/11

[SauronOfMordor]

The fire looks like it was intense (judging from the shell of the car). It seems like she had to cook awhile to burn to that degree but than again, if the fire is hot enough it may not be the case.

I'm wondering if she was driving with the windows rolled down.

Simplest thing to do would have been to drive alongside her and toss an open container of gas thru the window along with a cigarette.

[weegee]

I tried to put this in the sidebar (Front Page News) but it didn't get there.

I've started a new thread for today's article on the Fire Department's finding at the time of the fire:

Car fire set off suspicions as crew fought it (Smith Tennesee License Scandal)

They are comparing it to some older cases they've seen (could even indicate the work of someone like the Dixie Mafia with an established presence in the area).

[weegee]

Hmm, I see that this did get to "Extended News" but that category of articles doesn't show up when a user clicks "Threads" at the top. Only when a user clicks "Extended News".

I just thought that the name had changed from "Extended News" to "Front Page News" (as opposed to "Breaking News")

[pocat]

My prediction:

This driver's license scheme will be held up to the sheeple as the reason for implementing the National ID card. We will be told that it is "fool-proof" and "fraud-proof" and that it is only for our "security".

The arson story will fade into the background...

[Travis McGee]

Your tax dollars at work paying for terrorists.

[Lion's Cub]

Indexing

[Lion's Cub]

Related stories about this murder in *TN License Scandals located at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/involved?group=383

[piasa]

Thanks for linking that

[Travis McGee]

You are right about the coming national ID I think.

[Spook86]

No evidence that she had any connection to the Nation of Islam. Her funeral was held today in Memphis. Based on coverage of that event by the local stations, it appeared to be a traditional, Christian service and several mourners described Ms. Smith as a Christian. Additionally, I didn't see anyone in the crowd shots in NOI gard, i.e., the characteristic bow tie worn by Farrakhan and many of his male supporters....