Posted on 02/26/2003 11:28:55 AM PST by agenda_express
Student's Arrest Arouses Terror Concerns
Flight Manuals Allegedly Found In Hit-And-Run Suspect's Car
POSTED: 8:09 a.m. EST February 26, 2003
UPDATED: 11:27 a.m. EST February 26, 2003
INDIANAPOLIS -- A seemingly routine traffic accident Tuesday has triggered investigations by the Marion County Sheriff's Department and the FBI.
Police said Ayman Al-Salmi, 21, ran a stop sign at Raymond Street and Executive Drive -- less than a mile from Indianapolis International Airport -- struck a vehicle, and fled the scene on the wrong side of the road.
A witness, Dean Fulbright, said he saw the accident, chased Al-Salmi, and returned him to the crash scene, RTV6's Jack Rinehart reported.
Fulbright characterized Al-Salmi as "suspicious."
"He was acting kind of nervous-like," Fulbright said. "He either didn't have insurance or he done something he wasn't supposed to be doing. But he was wanting to leave the way he was."
Fulbright kept Al-Salmi at the crash scene until police arrived.
According to the police report, Al-Salmi -- a foreign national -- kept changing his story as to why he fled the scene, including: "He was confused, he was lost, he was trying to find a business and was frustrated and the he didn't know why he left."
Police said Al-Salmi kept insisting that a police report not be taken, and offered to take the hit driver to a bank to withdraw $5,000.
According to the police report, Al-Salmi also tried to offer the tow truck driver money to tow the car to his cousin's home, and to not tell the officer that it wouldn't be heading to the wrecker lot.
The deputy also said Al-Salmi acted "agitated," and as he walked toward the car "he followed extremely close, bumping his stomach into my right gun side. I turned toward him, and he stood staring at me. I then asked him not to bump me, and just stood there and stared."
The deputy said Al-Salmi tried to block his view of the car's damage.
According to the police report, a search of the car uncovered numerous loose papers with instructions on how to fly a plane and a handwritten note on how to get to the Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis. The paper also reportedly stated "not to wear metal; there was a metal detector; not to take a number; to be quiet; stand by the window."
"Believe me, When we saw all these circumstances, we thought immediately that we have to look at this a little closer -- and we did," MCSD Deputy Chief Herman Humbles said.
The deputy said Al-Salmi kept trying to distract him from the vehicle by continuing to ask questions, and insisting that he be allowed to pay off the driver.
Al-Salmi was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of failing to stop for a property damage accident. He entered a plea of not guilty, Rhinehart reported.
Investigators later served a search warrant on Al-Salmi's Speedway apartment. They learned he's an aviation engineering student taking classes at Vincennes University, Rinehart reported. They also said he has a roommate who needed to go to the Federal Building to address immigration issues.
"The chances of it all coming together like that in one time was just coincidence," Humbles said.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
FBI officials confirmed that they were investigating Al-Salmi and his roommate's backgrounds, family ties and American contacts.
Sheriff's investigators said the two men were cooperating fully with the investigation.
Copyright 2003 by TheIndyChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I'll take a stab at it:
There's a perfectly logical explanation for the papers found in the car: Al-Salmi's friend was going to pick him up at the Federal Building in a plane (thus he had to stand by the window) and give him a flying lesson, and during the flight they were going to discuss his friend's "immigration problem." Furthermore, Al-Salmi left the scene of the accident because he didn't want to be late and miss his plane ride.
A perfectly innocent explanation, and we should all be ashamed of our suspicions.
How's that?
D@mn straight...cops I know would've had this toad on the ground and handcuffed before he had a chance to spit the asphalt out of his mouth. This cop was waaaaaay to nice. Send him back for some training of some sort. Sheesh, could have gotten himself killed.
From the current article on their site, which may have been updated:
Police said Ayman Al-Salmi, 21, ran a stop sign Feb. 19 at Raymond Street and Executive Drive -- less than a mile from Indianapolis International Airport -- struck a vehicle, and fled the scene on the wrong side of the road.
LOL...something either got lost in the original post, or the current article was updated. I was half sure it was imminent system shutdown due to my neurons nearing critical mass (normal for this time of day)
Is that the same one as Gary, Indiana or am I missing something?
Not much. The Indiana refinery fire was in Whiting, in northeastern Indiana, not too far from Gary, about 150 miles from Indianapolis.
There are some oil refineries south of Indianapolis, about 115 miles Southeast, just across the Wabash river at Lawrenceville, Illinois and about 35 miles north at Robinsoon, IL, convenient to the large quantities of cooling water required from nearby Wabash river tributaries. But that's about it.
Recent refinery and other industrial fire and disaster info *here*.
-archy-/-
Does this mean anything?
Let's not drop this one. Was it John Lott who did the media mentions stats for the West Virginia law school shooting? Something like 200 media stories, with 16 mentioning that the guy who stopped the shooter had a gun. First time I'd seen such a statistical review done, and it should become routine, so there's a whole list of them that the skeptics can be referred to.
I don't know about this standing near the window business. But I can see why a young Arab male wouldn't want to give any reason to stop them at a metal detector.
I'm not sure how not taking a number would fit into a terror scenario though. Seems like you'd just want to blend in. Maybe he'd schedualed an appointment and didn't need a number.
It's very suspicious obviously. But I'm not sure what exactly to make of it.
GUILTY.
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.