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| Muslim Sympathy Said to Prompt Kuwait Camp Attack | |
| 2003-06-18 | |
A sergeant accused of a deadly attack inside his U.S. Army camp in Kuwait acted out of sympathy for Muslims who he reportedly said Americans had come to "kill and rape," an investigator testified on Tuesday.
Akbar, 32, is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He is a Muslim who grew up in Southern California and Louisiana. Maier testified in the second day of a weeklong hearing to determine whether Akbar should face court-martial, and a possible death penalty, for the attack in which grenades were rolled into three tents. Another witness testified on Tuesday that one of the officers killed was shot in the back at close range, but said he was not sure it was Akbar who did the shooting. "I saw him run from the darkness and shoot him in the back and run away," First Sgt. Rodlon Stevenson said of the attack that mortally wounded Army Capt. Christopher Seifert, 27. "I knew that as close as he had got shot he was in a bad way." Not long after that, he added, an alert was sounded for Akbar. Later that day, Stevenson said, he saw Akbar and perceived him as heavier-set than the man he saw attack Seifert and dressed slightly differently. It led him to believe Akbar was not the man who carried out the attack, though he conceded that he might have had time to change clothes. The hearing is being held before Col. Patrick Reinert, an Army reserve officer on leave from his post as an assistant U.S. attorney in Iowa. He has until June 27 to recommend whether Akbar should face a court-martial on two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted murder. And this additional information from The News-Enterprise, Hardin County, Kentucky: The serial number on an M-4 rifle found at the crime scene matched that of a gun checked out to Akbar, testimony shows. Bullet fragments found in Seifert's abdomen were fired from the rifle at the scene, said Special Agent David Maier of the unit's Criminal Investigation Division. Other evidence points to Akbar, according to testimony. Akbar's chemical gear bag contained three empty grenade canisters and two pulled safety clips when they were found after the attack, Maier said. Three grenades were also discovered next to a gas mask in the same bunker in which Akbar was found after the attack. The bag and the mask are traceable to Akbar. The defense again tried to establish that Fort Campbell soldiers discriminated against Muslims and their beliefs. Capt. David Storch testified that Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Means once asked Akbar what he would do if "he came over a ridge and saw a raghead." Akbar's response, according to Storch: "It would depend on what level of jihad I was on." Storch said Akbar at that moment didn't sound like he understood the religion; he also said Means was just checking to find out if Akbar and other soldiers trusted each other. Means is scheduled to testify later in the week. Akbar, a 32-year-old combat engineer with the division's 326th Engineer Battalion, continued to listen calmly Tuesday as others [discussed] his common sense and his usefulness to his unit. After Sept. 11, 2001, his performance became worse and his credibility with subordinates plummeted, Sgt. Wesley Lafortune testified. He didn't ensure his subordinates were prepared for work and began showing up unprepared himself, Staff Sgt. James Vanreenen said, leading to Akbar's firing as a team leader within his platoon. It was also around Sept. 11 that Akbar changed his name from Mark Kools, Lafortune said. OK, this may be considered discrimination, profiling, or whatever, but shouldn't this have raised a little red flag? | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 Knew it was just a matter of time before someone threw out the race card. I'm so damn tired of hearing"My Mamma was a drug addict,my Daddy ran off with a stripper,and the White man's keeping me down.That's why I killed those people."You get no sympathy from me,asshole! |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-06-18 20:15:28 |
| #9 Well, I was "fired" from not one, but THREE different Air Force jobs. Ended up working for a full bull, because my people were too loyal to me - I treated them right, instead of like dirt. Spent a year doing "make-work" - most of which turned out to be VERY important a couple of years later, then was given my old job back when the Major that was my former boss, and who fired me, PCS'd. I came from a very poor family. My dad and mom both worked, just to meet the bills. Of course, Dad was also supporting his mother, and helping out with a disabled younger brother. Still, I got an appointment to the Air Force Academy, and have "made something" of myself through hard work and raw intelligence. Akbar wants an easy ride "because I'm Black, and I'm Muslim". So freaking what? The only way to get ahead is to work at it. There's nothing quite as dramatic as the "'dot.com' bubble" to illustrate this. The companies where the people used intelligent thinking, cared about what they were doing, and worked HARD to succeed, usually did. Those that tried to catch a free ride bumped their noses. The ones you hear about are the crybabies that yell and scream that life isn't fair. Hell, it's NEVER been fair. Akbar is an idiot, did something only an idiot would do, and needs to pay the price for his idiocy. No sympathy, no excuses - just hang the little ba*****, and get it over with. Maybe, just maybe, it'll keep somebody from being the "next Akbar". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-06-18 23:26:30 |
| #8 Some more details: Sgt. First Class Daniel Kumm said Akbar had been brought to his platoon on a "rehabilitative transfer" to get a fresh start because of past problems such as not arriving at out-of-state training with his bags. Kumm said he still had problems, and he did not want him to go to Iraq. "I didn't want him to deploy, sir, and if there was a job back at Fort Campbell that's where I would have preferred him to be," Kumm said. Kumm said he didn't want Akbar to go to Iraq because of "his inability to lead soldiers and incompetence in abilities and skills." "rehabilitative transfer", AKA dumping this dirt bag in someone else's platoon. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-06-18 16:42:50 |
| #7 One hot needle...coming up! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-06-18 12:29:36 |
| #6 You have to remember that only white Christian men commit crimes. All others are merely victims of white Christian men and their actions must be seen in that light. Its too bad too: in days gone by they would have already tried and shot the bastard. But since he's a Muslim they'll have to go easy on him I guess. |
| Posted by: SPQR 2756 2003-06-18 11:11:21 |
| #5 "if you were 'fired' from an Air Force position it was time to hang up your BDUs" Yup, If you were removed as a supervisor, your career is over. Most likely you would be parked in a job where you counted paper clips all day until your enlistment was up. Then the commander would deny re-enlistment if you were stubborn enough to try and you were gone. Less paper work than trying to throw somebody out. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-06-18 11:07:30 |
| #4 Highlander, a good ploy if it were not just a military hearing. They are judging the evidence that a crime was committed. Anyone with an IQ above 50 can tell that a crime has been committed, but it's a military procedure thing. I know that the fact he was fired doesn't mean too much to civilians but in the military it means that Mr. Akbar was probably on his way out. They probably had to keep him on duty due to a stop/loss that came into effect after 9/11. Not sure about the Army procedures, but if you were 'fired' from an Air Force position it was time to hang up your BDUs. If he was fired from supervisory duties, they probably have some dirt on him. This may have been the time that Akbar experienced the 'racism' that he is trying paint. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC California Chapter) 2003-06-18 10:37:48 |
| #3 Do I hear that tried and true device of "victimization" raising its tired head? |
| Posted by: Highlander 2003-06-18 10:20:02 |
| #2 More testimony from today: Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Kumm testified said he had asked his company commander to reassign Akbar to prevent his deployment to Kuwait, citing his "inability to lead soldiers and incompetence in his ability and skills as a combat engineer." Kumm said his commander replied, "You will take him, we need the numbers. We need to take full strength into Iraq." Yeah, just what I figured. Kumm, in testimony similar to that of others who served closely with Akbar, said today that Akbar had few close friends in the unit. "To my knowledge, he had one or two friends," Kumm said. "At night, I would find him at the gym or leaving a message that he'd be at the gym. Other than that, he was at home on the computer or just keeping to himself." |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-06-18 15:36:50 |
| #1 And once again, I am Fed UP!!!! |
| Posted by: Fed UP 2003-06-18 13:35:04 |