March 2, 2011

Some bad news from Germany

I was listening to the radio on my way in a few hours ago and heard about the four Airmen who were shot -- two murdered -- by a gunman. The only information given was that he was a Kosovar. A few minutes ago, I am sitting down to a late lunch and surfing the news and I see this from the New York Times:
Shooting at Germany Airport Kills 2 U.S. Airmen
Two United States airmen were killed and two injured on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on an American military bus at the Frankfurt airport, according to American military officials in Europe.

In Washington, President Obama said he was �saddened and outraged� by the attack. �We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place,� he said, �and in working with German authorities to ensure that all of the perpetrators are brought to justice.�

The suspected gunman, who is in custody, is 21-year-old Kosovar who lives in Frankfurt, according to a city police spokesman, Manfred F�llhardt. The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of the families, the officials said.

The attack occurred outside Terminal 2 at the airport, one of Europe�s busiest, which has been under increased security in recent months following warnings that Germany would be the target of terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the shooting, the area was rapidly cordoned off, but the terminal continued operations.
Burried down in paragraph ten of twelve is this:
A man whose office is near the site of the shooting said it was an area where buses load arriving passengers. Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his business, he said witnesses told him that the gunman first talked to the military personnel to find out who they were and then opened fire, shouting �God is great� in Arabic.
In Arabic, this is Allahu Akbar and is known as the Takbir -- an excerpt:
The phrase is well known in the west for its ubiquitous use in Islamist protests, and in Islamic extremism, and has become iconic of Islamic terrorism.

After 9/11, the FBI released a letter reportedly handwritten by the hijackers and found in three separate copies on 9/11�at Dulles, at the Pennsylvania crash site, and in Mohamed Atta's suitcase. It included a checklist of final reminders for the 9/11 hijackers. An excerpt reads: "When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, 'Allahu Akbar,' because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers." Also, in the cockpit voice recorders found at the crash site of Flight 93, the hijackers are heard to be reciting the Takbir as the plane plummeted toward the ground.
But no mention in the media... Posted by DaveH at March 2, 2011 1:32 PM