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'Life' sentence for man who killed US airmen at Frankfurt Airport
The man who opened fire on U.S. airmen at Frankfurt Airport last March in what prosecutors called a "personal jihad," was convicted of murder and was handed a life sentence. Arid Uka was found guilty on two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He briefly smiled when the sentence was given.Judges deciding the case found he bore "severe guilt" and should not be eligible for parole for more than 15 years. That's the harshest sentence allowed in Germany. How long Uka must serve before he is eligibility will be determined by a separate court after Uka has served about 14 years. He would likely serve 18-20 years. Formerly an airport postal worker, the Kosovo Albanian reared in Frankfurt confessed during his initial court appearance in late August. He said he'd opened fire because he'd been misled by Islamist propaganda on the Internet. He said he was trying to stop American troops from raping Afghan girls after seeing a clip of the movie, "Redacted." That movie depicts the rape of an Iraqi girl and the murder of her and her family by U.S. troops. Uka shot Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, 25, in the head as he stood outside a bus bound for Ramstein Air Base. Alden was a member of a unit of military police en route to a deployment in Afghanistan. Uka then boarded the bus and shot the driver, Airman 1st Class Zachary Cuddeback, 21, in the temple. Both Alden and Cuddeback died instantly. Once aboard, Uka continued to fire. Staff Sgt. Kristoffer Schneider, 25, was severely injured, with a bullet to the head that blinded him in one eye and has left him with numerous neurological problems. Senior Airman Edgar Veguilla also was injured, but told the court he'd made a complete recovery. Staff Sgt. Trevor Brewer, 23, testified that Uka had shot twice point-blank at him, with "hate" in his eyes. The gun jammed, and Uka fled into the airport, with Brewer in pursuit. Uka was arrested by airport police. Posted by: ryuge 2012-02-10 |
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