Shooting At L.A. Airport Not Connected To Terrorism, Says L.A. Mayor.

Shooting At L.A. Airport Not Connected To Terrorism, Says L.A. Mayor. Really?
by Nathan Poole, Columnist

July 8, 2002

Contributor Nathan Poole As Americans across the nation were beginning to celebrate Independence Day on Thursday morning, a gunman opened fire at Israel's El Al Airlines ticket counter in Los Angeles. The gunman, later identified as Egyptian immigrant Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a 41-year-old limousine driver, walked into El Al Airlines, stood in the ticket line, and then opened fire on innocent civilians. Hadayet's actions took the lives of Yaakov Aminov, a man who was dropping his friend off at the airport, and an airport worker identified as Victoria Hen.

I watched the horror unfold on my television set as I surfed the channels Thursday morning, trying to find something to watch with my two-year-old daughter Gaby. I remember getting sick to my stomach, the same feeling I had as I watched the terrible events of September 11. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I thought about those who might have been injured or even killed. I thought about their families, and about how this day of joy and celebration had been forever turned into a day of grief and anguish by a homicidal and cowardly maniac. And then I got mad.

Imagine my disbelief, then, when I heard Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn say that there was no indication that the shootings were connected to terrorism.

Excuse me? I must have heard that wrong. Say again, please.

"It appears this was an isolated incident," Hahn said.

Mayor Hahn must just be in shock, right? He just doesn't want to believe that a terrorist attack has taken place in his city. I completely understand; I felt the exact same way when I first heard about the incident. Surely nobody else believes this nonsense.

"There is no evidence, no indication at this time that this is terrorists," said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer on Friday.

Come on! Give me a break. This is out of control. I can understand why the mayor of Los Angeles would want to spin this situation in such a way, but what could the White House possibly have to worry about? Are they afraid that it may come out in the distant future that the President was warned months earlier that Hadayet was planning on carrying out this dastardly offense?

Please let there be somebody out there, some reasonable person, who can see that this was not just an isolated incident, but rather a terrorist attack on the United States and on Israel.

"Israeli officials said they would consider the attack an act of terror unless it was proven otherwise," the AP reported on Saturday. Thank you, Israel. Of course, the media continues downplay Israel's response, as well as Israel's right to respond in that manner.

"Israel's foreign ministry blamed terrorists," the AP also reported, "but didn't offer any evidence to support the claim."

Well, allow me to offer up a little evidence on behalf of the Israelis-and on the behalf of my own government, since everyone from Mayor Hahn to the Bush Administration refuses to acknowledge the incident for what it really was. Hadayet was an Egyptian immigrant who hated all of the United States and all of Israel with a passion. When his upstairs neighbor displayed an American flag along side a Marine Corps flag after September 11, Hadayet complained to the apartment manager.

"He thought it was being thrown in his face," said Steve Thompson, another neighbor of Hadayet's.

And how did Hadayet feel about Israelis?

According to Abdul Zahav, a man who had worked for him, Hadayet once told him he hated all Israelis. "He kept all his anger inside him."

Some, even after reading all that I have written, will still not be entirely convinced that this was a terrorist attack. I offer those of you who feel this way one final piece of evidence.

"It appears he went there with the intention of killing," FBI agent Richard Garcia said.

Hadayet, like many Middle Easterners, hated America and all Americans. He hated Israel and prayed for her destruction. He deliberately set out to terrorize innocent civilians in an Israeli Airline on American soil. If that is not terrorism, then I am not sure what is. Or do another two buildings have to fall before Americans will realize that we are once again under attack? ***

A native of San Antonio, Texas and a veteran of the United States Air Force, Nathan Poole is employed by the United States Postal Service. He lives in Irwindale, California with his wife and family.

Photo of the author courtesy of staff files