Jun 3, 2009 10:36 am US/Eastern
Little Rock Shooter May Have Had Other Targets
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CBS) ―
-
-
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, suspect in the killing of a soldier in what police describe as a targeted attack on a military recruiting center, Little Rock, Ark. on Jun. 1, 2009.
AP
The man charged with the Arkansas military recruiter shooting might have considered other targets, according to law enforcement officials.
A joint FBI-Homeland Security intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press said officers found maps to Jewish organizations, a child care center, a Baptist church, a post office and military recruiting centers in the southeastern U.S. and New York and Philadelphia.
''Out of an abundance of caution, and in light of newly discovered information, the FBI cannot rule out additional subjects, targets, or the potential for inspired copy cats who might act out in support of the original act,'' the intelligence assessment said.
Abdulhakim Muhammed, 23, of Little Rock, has pleaded not guilty to Monday's deadly shooting in a suburban Little Rock shopping center where Pvt. William Long, 23 was killed and Pvt. Quinton I. Ezeagwula, 18, was wounded.
Authorities said Muhammed targeted soldiers ''because of what they had done to Muslims in the past.''
Long and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Ark., had
recently completed basic training and had never seen combat. Ezeagwula
was hospitalized in stable condition.
Police Chief Stuart Thomas said Muhammad, previously known as Carlos
Bledsoe, was a convert to Islam and was not part of any broader scheme
to attack the American military.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Duncan said Muhammad told investigators that
"he would have killed more soldiers had they been in the parking lot."
Long and Ezeagwula were targeted as they stood outside the recruiting
center smoking cigarettes.
Muhammad is currently charged in state court, but FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Wednesday that the bureau is also investigating, ''which may result in additional federal charges and prosecution.''
An FBI-led joint terrorism task force based in the southern United
States has been investigating Muhammad since he returned to the United
States from Yemen, a law enforcement official said. The suspect had
been arrested and jailed in Yemen at some point for using a Somali
passport, the official said.
The Division of Investigation became the FBI at the beginning of fiscal year 1936.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths
CBS News Interactive: Sept. 11 And Since
Click to enlarge
Massive Crib Recall Set, Sources Say 15 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments