[E. Pluribus Unum]

"In America, they hate Islam and Arabs after Sept. 11."

And your point is?

[Shermy]

"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.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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."

[JulieRNR21]

"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!

[alloysteel]

Was there ever any doubt this fellow was linked to some branch of Muslim terrorists world-wide once you heard he was an Egyptian?

[onedoug]

FBLie

[ThePythonicCow]

I see a couple of different things in the FBI's obfuscation here:

1. The FBI, unlike news agencies and us citizens, likely does have access to more evidence that they are still sifting through. It is reasonable for them to do that further investigation before going public. Meanwhile they are being represented by press handlers who aren't of the highest caliber, who are having trouble saying "we aren't saying yet" without making the FBI look clueless.
2. The press is a little too willing to jump on them here, eliciting conjectures as to what all else might have motivated this terrorist, leaving the appearance that the FBI wouldn't know terrorism if it hit them in the face. Would that the press had been half this ready to jump on the FBI and such when they covered up bigger terrorist attacks under Clinton.

Which isn't to deny that the FBI hasn't gotten gun shy, and straight talk shy. Nor to deny that the FBI is one of several examples of seriously sick federal agencies.

If the FBI comes to the right public answer in a week or two, then this current bad mouthing of them is worth little more than yellow journalism, and we should give them credit for getting something right. If not, then ... well ... not surprising.

[Redcloak]

The official FBI position?

"See no terrorism. Hear no terrorism. Say nothing about terrorism."

[hove]

What ever happened to the 52 year old white guy that people saw shooting. Didn't the media initially say there was more than one person involved?

[Hugin]

"In America, they hate Islam and Arabs after Sept. 11."

Please keep telling this to other Arabs. If they believe it maybe they will stop coming here.

[SerpentDove]

>>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.<<

They never cease to insult our intelligence.

[droberts]

Let's see if we can work in the Iraqi angle too so as to get the appropriate amount of public support for an invasion.

[ladyinred]

Oh no, couldn't be, this would be considered a terrorist attack in that case, and it isn't donchaknow.

[VRWC_minion]

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.

Can you say independent contractor ? He probably was employed as an independent contractor and used a d/b/a.