Israeli Suspect Nabbed in Deadly Stabbing Spree

A suspect in a string of 18 stabbings that terrorized people across three states and left five dead was arrested in front of startled passengers at an airport gate as he tried to board a plane for Israel, officials said Thursday.

A judge in Flint, Mich., where the attacks began in late May, signed a warrant Thursday charging Elias Abuelazam, 33, with assault with intent to murder in connection with a July 27 stabbing.

Antwione Marshall, 26, of Flint, the victim of that attack, told The Associated Press that the FBI visited him at 3 a.m. to show him a picture of the man arrested in Atlanta, and he identified him as the assailant.

Marshall said he was going into his apartment building when the assailant approached and asked for help fixing his car. He was stabbed twice when he opened the hood. Three of his organs were cut, and he has a long scar from his chest to his pelvic area.

Marshall said he wants to "retaliate" but "I'll let God handle it. Every time I look at my scar, I get angry."

In Michigan, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said authorities still don't know the motive. Most victims were black, and police have said the attacks may have been racially motivated, though Leyton said there was no evidence of that.

Atlanta police said they went to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at the request of Michigan State Police and paged Abuelazam over the intercom as he waited to board a Delta Air Lines flight to Tel Aviv.

Investigative leads prompted CBP officers to check the flight manifest where they found his name, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports.

Passengers on that flight said as they arrived in Tel Aviv that he was tense and talking on his cell phone when he was arrested at the boarding gate shortly before takeoff. They said six police officers led him away without incident.

"He was talking on the phone. I didn't hear what he said," Romi Shaked, who was on the plane, told The Associated Press. "I just saw him talking to different people and moving around and sitting in different seats."

Leyton said Abuelazam's uncle bought him the plane ticket, which cost about $3,000, and is now cooperating with police.

The suspect has ties to Flint and to Leesburg, Va., the site of three similar attacks last week, Leesburg Police Officer Chris Jones said.

"While this is a key step in the investigation, there are still many issues that need to be addressed before we identify this individual as the person responsible for this horrific crime spree," Jones said.

Police in Arlington, Va., said Abuelazam was arrested there during a routine traffic stop last week.

Arlington Detective Crystal L. Nosal said police realized he was wanted on a simple assault warrant in Leesburg, about 30 miles away, but a magistrate released him on personal recognizance, meaning he was responsible for returning to court.

Leyton, the Michigan prosecutor, said the Arlington stop was for failure to obey a highway sign and police found a knife in the driver's side door and a hammer on the floor of Abuelazam's 1996 green and gold Chevrolet Blazer. A hammer was used in one attack in Virginia, on a 19-year-old man in a parking lot.

Police impounded the Blazer, which matched a vehicle described by some stabbing victims who survived, then gave it back to Abuelazam, Leyton said.

According to court records in Loudoun County, where Leesburg is located, Abuelazam was arrested in December 2007 and charged with felony gun possession. Those charges were dropped the next year.

He was also charged with misdemeanor assault in 2008, and had a court date scheduled next week.

Abuelazam is an Israeli citizen who is living in the U.S. with a green card, Leyton said.

Police had focused their hunt on Flint - where 14 stabbings took place - until Leesburg police reported three attacks. Authorities in Toledo, Ohio, say a stabbing in that city Saturday appears to be linked to the violent spree.

In Mount Morris Township, near Flint, a few dozen people who heard about the arrest gathered outside a convenience store where Abuelazam worked. One yelled that the owner should have been suspicious. Police cleared the parking lot.

"He was a good guy. All of my employees, we never thought nothing about the guy," said Abdulla Farrah, manager of Kingwater Market.

Farrah said Abuelazam worked there for about a month before leaving Aug. 1. He said investigators looked at store video Wednesday.

Jessica Nimitz, an Arlington, Texas, woman who identified herself as Elias' ex-wife, said she was struggling to cope with the news too.

"I'm shocked," she said in a phone interview. "I'm trying to figure out what's going on."

As of Wednesday afternoon, a task force led by the Michigan State Police and including the FBI had received 469 tips.

TBC..

Here's what musta happened:
abu_rashid wrote on Aug 7^th, 2010 at 10:59pm:

abu_rashid wrote on Aug 13^th, 2010 at 9:12pm:


I am merely applying your defence, without change, of murderous Muslims.  Funny how your defence of Muslim murderers turns out to be Zionist mouthpiece propaganda when applied to a Jew. Or do you think different standards apply to Muslims? (Yes, you do.).

Here's the thing that you forget: nobody is surprised when a Muslim does a crazy thing. Not even  Mulism. (Least of all Muslism.)  Have you noticed how the Muslim-on-Muslim killing is now barely reported, and when it is, it's one of the 'also noted' items on page 487 of your paper? It's not news any more. It's your particular 'cultura'l thing.

You get all hot and wide-eyed when you come across a jew doing crazy stuff, once a decade. And implicitly, we ALL think it's worse than all the crazy smacking insanity you guys get up to because we ALL , you included, think you are culturally incapable of anything else, while we set higher standards for the jews and westerners generally.

This is of course hugely unfair on the Muslims who also think that you are put of your mind, but they are too afraid to speak up because they might get into trouble from the zealots (viz. also noted items on p 487 of your local daily). The reality is, Muslim get away with projecting insanity because they are seen as being 'only' Muslim, 'lashing out against oppression'. And you milk your inferiority for all its worth.i

USB DEVICE wrote on Sep 9^th, 2010 at 9:35pm:



You get all hot and wide-eyed when you come across a jew/Christian (thank you, USB) ]doing crazy stuff, once a decade. And implicitly, we ALL think it's worse than all the crazy smacking insanity you guys get up to because we ALL , you included, think you are culturally incapable of anything else, while we set higher standards for the jews and westerners (and Christians -thank you USB) generally.

He's an Israeli, that's all that's relevant.

Most "Israeli Christians" are Zionists and if they could save up enough would convert to Judaism anyway.

chicken_lipsforme wrote on Sep 10^th, 2010 at 12:47pm:

Chicken don't tell me that he doesn't remind you of "the general" !!  Lol!!

I think the source of the information is the same too.

Gozmo reckons it could well be he or him.( which one is correct ?)