Recruiting office shooting
Laughing Wolf at Blackfive writes that one recruiter was killed and another seriously wounded in Little Rock. Fox reports that the gunman was apprehended along with his “assault rifle” – whatever that means anymore.
Notice how, unlike some bloggers on the Left jumped to conclusions over yesterday’s shooting, I’m not speculating on the motivations of this shooter or his relationship to any other group of recruiter-haters until the facts are in – I caution commenters here to do the same.
Added: From Associated Press;
Recruiting commander Lt. Col Thomas F. Artis says the victims had just completed basic training and were spending two weeks in Little Rock to recruit in their home area, showing the difference that less than two months of training made in their lives.
From Star Tribune;
Hastings said he did not know whether the recruiting office was specifically targeted or was randomly chosen.
Hastings said shortly after noon that investigators had not yet questioned the suspect and that police were still processing evidence from the crime scene.
From Navy Times;
Neither the victims nor suspects were named by authorities.
A photo of the suspect from KATV (Thanks to GI Jane);
Eyewitness interview;
The scene;
UPDATE: The soldier that was killed was 23-year-old William Long of Conway, AR.
FOX16 has also learned detectives served a search warrant at the Bristol Park apartments on Mara Lynn. Police say they’ve seized some evidence related to today’s shooting.
Updated again: Eagle-eyed readers (1stCavRVN11B, John H and mtngrandpa) in the comments section noticed that the shooter is a Muslim convert;
A Muslim convert who said he was opposed to the U.S. military shot two soldiers outside an Arkansas recruiting station, killing one of the soldiers, police said Monday.
“This individual appears to have been upset with the military, the Army in particular, and that’s why he did what he did,” Little Rock Police Lt. Terry Hastings said in a phone interview.
“He has converted to Muslim here in the past few years,” Hastings said. “To be honest we’re not completely clear on what he was upset about. He had never been in the military.”
Hastings identified the man in custody as Carlos Bledsoe, 24, of Little Rock, who was going by the name of Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad. He did not have further details. The names of the soldiers were not released, nor was the condition of the wounded soldier.
See how we did that without jumping to conclusions, Andrew Sullivan? That’s how civilized people act.
Category: Bloggers, Support the troops, Terror War
Per another source, NOT recruiters:
According to Army Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis, the two victims were not recruiters, but part of a recruiting program called “Hometown Recruiting Assistance.” Artis says recruiters use soldiers to tell their stories and talk to potential recruits while they are visiting or based back in their home region.
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0609/627959.html
Yeah, I did that gig for a few weeks, back in the day.
Let’s pray for the family of the fallen and prayers to the one survivor and family.
I saw one blog note that they were Iraq vets. However, the majority of hometown recruiters I dealt with were soldiers who just finished BCT and AIT. My gut feeling is that this is gang related, not political. Tragic either way.
Thoughts and prayers for their families.
Interestingly, as of an hour after the incident, no nationwide recruiter alert has been made.
[…] II: This Ain’t Hell says the victim was a recruit just back from basic training, and not the recruiter. I’ve […]
I was hoping you guys wouldn’t be repeating the line “Recruiter Killed” but alas.
This is a shooting that occurred outside a recruiting station in which one active duty soldier is now dead and another was wounded. The soldiers were part of a program known as Hometown Recruiters. Hometown recruiters are basically active duty soldiers who get to come home and help out the recruiters normally by doing adminstrative stuff in the office and helping the recruiters through their knowledge of the local area and their contacts. They are not recruiters.
They get a couple of weeks at home without being charged leave time in exchange for helping out the recruiters.
Based on the local reports this is shaping up to be some sort of random drive by shooting, whether it is gang related or some other motivation is still to be determined.
We ran it only in the title JAG, from what we had originally. And I can’t raise Jonn on the phone to change the title.
Jonn wrote: I’m in a teleconference – I should have changed the title after I found the first article, especially since Hot Air linked to us specifically because I pointed out they weren’t recruiters. D’oh!
[…] Jonn Lilyea has more at This Ain’t Hell. […]
It would be nice if the suspect could be transferred from police custody to Military custody and held at Leavenworth awaiting trial by Courts-Martial. It prolly ain’t gonna happen, but it’s too bad.
Otherwise, I’d support turning the (alleged) rat-bastard murdering scum over to the friends and family of those two soldiers. Save the taxpayers a LOT of expense and time.
Others mileage may, of course, vary. Just venting.
Respects,
Seeing as how the 0, aka CinC, is “outraged” over the murder of the abortion doctor, and Holder wants the FBI to provide protection for abortion clinics, I assume that he will be similarly “outraged” over the murder of a soldier. And he will, of course, provide FBI protection to all recruiting centers.
Yeah, right.
Wanna bet the fucker is Muslim?
My first and second thought too, Jane. However- I’ll wait for the police to not release this information for fear of ‘back-lash’.
Another report from an Arkasas news station:
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0609/627959.html
Arkasas=Arkansas
this is just awful… he knew they were soldiers… prayers to their families…
UpNorth: Good luck with all that, since Wasserman-Shultz couldn’t be bothered to fit in the military in the “protection zone” of the legislation for “protected classes”.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the O will show feigned outrage and call it a tragedy, and then move on without looking back.
Prayers for the families, and prayers for justice.
Although based on recent experience, all that the guy being held in custody needs to do is tell them he is a Black Panther / Acorn Poll Intimidator and Obama will let him skate.
What a mean-looking dead-eyed son-of-a-bitch (with all due forgiveness to the bitch).
And I’m with AW1 Tim: Let the sob run a gauntlet of family, friends and neighbors, with whatever they can pick up and swing. If he survives (no medical treatment), then he goes to trial. If he’s found “innocent”, that will be ok, too, because I GUARENTEE that boy will NEVER be able to pick up another weapon as long as he lives (and may it be long, slow and painful).
I am an advocate of “wall-to-wall” counceling to straighten out most bad attitudes. And this “boy” needs it worse then most. Hence the gauntlet.
CNN is reporting the name of the shooter as:
[…Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad — a 24-year-old Little Rock resident formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe — faces a first-degree murder charge and 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. The terrorist counts stem from the shots fired at an occupied building.
The soldier who was killed was identified as Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway, and the wounded soldier is Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Thomas said.
Ezeagwula is in stable condition and expected to recover, the police chief said.
Although military officials initially believed that the shooting was a random act, Thomas said police think the shooter acted alone “with the specific purpose of targeting military personnel
…]
Yeah right, a ramdom act by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad who had recently changed his name from Carlos Bledsoe. BS..there is more to this than a random act.
Well – here it is – the son of a bitch is – guess what – a muslim convert. Just got this in.
Cops: double shooting terror act
BREAKING: The shooting of two young soldiers, one fatally, outside the Army recruiting station on Rodney Parham about 10 a.m. this morning, has taken on a much broader dimension.
At an afternoon news conference, police said the man who’s suspected in the shooting did not know the victims but shot them because of “ideological reasons.” The suspect was described as a convert to Islam who specifically targeted soldiers for the attack.Police Chief Stuart Thomas said he didn’t appear to be part of a larger conspiracy and appeared to have acted alone.
“He has a disagreement with military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Thomas said.
Federal agencies are on the case.
The suspect, Abdulhaqim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, lived on Mara Lynn Drive. He was formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe and apparently moved to Little Rock from Memphis two to three months ago. He also had lived in Nashville, Tenn. recently.
Police identified the dead soldier as Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway. Wounded was Pvt. Quentin Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville. He’s in serious condition, but isn’t believed to have life-threatening wounds.
The suspect drove up and begin firing at the two soldiers as they stood outside the recruit center in Ashley Square. A police detective heard a broadcast description of the black SUV used in the shooting and stopped it shortly after. The suspect surrendered without resistance.
Police recovered three guns — an SKS rifle, a .22 rifle and a .380 semi-automatic pistol. The suspect has been charged with capital murder and 15 counts of a terroristic act for firing rounds into an occupied building.
The victims were not Army recruiters. They had recently completed basic training and were back in Arkansas to talk to others about their positive experiences as a recruiting tool for others.
They were shot while standing outside the recruiting office during a break. Police said shots erupted from a black SUV that drove up.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-06-01-army-recruiter-killed_N.htm
A Muslim convert who said he was opposed to the U.S. military shot two soldiers outside an Arkansas recruiting station, killing one of the soldiers, police said Monday.
“This individual appears to have been upset with the military, the Army in particular, and that’s why he did what he did,” Little Rock Police Lt. Terry Hastings said in a phone interview.
“He has converted to Muslim here in the past few years,” Hastings said. “To be honest we’re not completely clear on what he was upset about. He had never been in the military.”
Hastings identified the man in custody as Carlos Bledsoe, 24, of Little Rock, who was going by the name of Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad. He did not have further details. The names of the soldiers were not released, nor was the condition of the wounded soldier.
Fox News, Sheppard Smith, is now reporting that he Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad was directly targeting the U.S. military because of political and other data found at his home.
The enemy within our own country, a homegrown terrorist. GD I am mad as hell.
‘Not completely clear on what he was upset about’? You’ve got to be kidding. Lt. Hastings has obviously never read the Koran, seen a jihadist website, watched a video by Ayman al Zawahri, or read about what goes on in a typical Mosque. Hastings needs a crash course in the Islamofascist mindset. Watching videos of 9/11 should do it.
OldTrooper, I think it would be a good time for Fox News to call on Rep. Wasserman-Schultz and ask her how she feels about this now? And I’m still waiting for 0 to make a statement, any statement, about this.
This just in!! Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.
“To be honest we’re not completely clear on what he was upset about.”
I hope Lt. Hastings is not a detective type.
[…] More here, here and here. […]
The “Assault Weapon” was a SKS semi-auto, per CNN.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/01/arkansas.recruiter.shooting/index.html
Well, well, well……GI Jane gets the trophy for the first one to say what we were all thinking. The dirty bastard is a muslim convert.
I still haven’t seen a statement of outrage, or plan of protection from the Whitehouse for our military personnel. Color me fucking shocked. Yet in a scant few hours after a nutbar killed an abortion doctor, there were hews and cries from the usual suspects about “rightwingers” and how there nees to be protection for abortionists.
The silence is deafening and the bias is sickening.
[…] This Ain’t Hell reported the shooter is a Muslim convert who opposed the US Military. USA Today […]
I am sick to death of the libs minimizing this and STILL denying terror exists here or there!!! Lousy Fuckers. I am so outraged, I could scream.
Now, now, defendUSA; we all know that everyone loves us now that Barack is the President and there is no terrorists in the US, except us Vets, according to Napolitano, so it’s all good. Well, I forgot the other “rightwing nutjobs” in the terrorist category that kill abortionists. Abortion doctors are the ones that deserve and get US Marshal protection, but Jewish places of worship andother activities and recruiting stations don’t need any, because there are no homegrown muslim convert terrorists.
Didn’t you get the memo?
Something has been tickling my memory all day….wasn’t there another convert named Mohammed who shot some people at one point? Nah, DHS would have reported it I am sure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltway_sniper_attacks
Nah, I must have screwed that up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesham_Mohamed_Hadayet
I still can’t shake the feeling though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Fort_Dix_attack_plot
(Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer)
Not the first and won’t be the last, count on that.
Here’s a hint – the guy changed his name to Mujahid = one involved in jihad…it’s also reported that he was studying jihad in Yemen (where most of the Gitmo detainees are from and where bin laden used to hide…USS Cole)
This guy acted out, there are many more who are quietly infiltrating all levels of politics and civil life – we report on it every day at Creeping Sharia…it is pure hell!
I like how everyone is like “Oh this is puzzling. It doesn’t make any sense. There was no clear motive.” Uh year there was. He was a crazy jihadist muslime. That’s the motive. Islamists have always been a barbaric violent militant religious group and the world needs to do something about it now. And fuck all that “outreach” bullshit. People need to take their heads out of the sand and see the islamist barbarians at the gate.
And they know he was not part of a larger group because of what? An exhausive 3 hour investigation?
The word “on the streets” is that he “might have been a prison convert”.
He’ll be received into the prison system as a bona fide hero.
and here: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/026380.php
————————————
Arkansas recruiting center jihadist killer studied jihad in Yemen
————————————
I have learned from a well-placed source that Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who killed one soldier and wounded another at a a Little Rock military recruiting center today, and who faces charges of terrorism as well as first-degree murder, has recently returned from Yemen, where he studied jihad with an Islamic scholar there.
Apparently the Islamic scholar under whom this American convert to Islam studied was yet another misunderstander of Islam’s true, peaceful teachings.
More on this as it develops.
[…] Posted on 01 June 2009 by Mike This Ain’t Hell-Recruiting office shooting […]
Let’s take out this Yemen cell.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7730637&page=1
So he must have shot almost 100 rds of ammunition? The witness on the TV report said he only heard about 6-7 shots.
he [was under investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force since his return from Yemen, ABC News has learned. The investigation was in its preliminary stages, authorities said, and was based on the suspect’s travel to Yemen and his arrest there for using a Somali passport.]
[Muhammad’s travels overseas have sparked a major international investigation. Officials say it is too early to know for certain if he indeed acted alone. According to sources, the suspect advised them that he was going to kill as many Army personnel as possible. At the time of the shooting, the subject had approximately 200 rounds of ammunition available, police said.]
[But the car was loaded with a small arsenal. Officers who searched the car found more than 100 rounds of ammunition, an SKS assault rifle, two pistols, and two military books. The ammunition was loaded in magazines which were found in a vest, police sources say.
Twin City Tours, a Little Rock travel company, was listed as Muhammad’s employer on an arrest report.]
Having used a Somalia passport, was he pissed because of the shooting of the Somali pirates?
And if DHS had not been preoccupied with Veterans and Tea Party attendees as suspect terrorist would the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force been able to have stopped this?
Very good point.
And what would ABC be touting about six paragraphs down into the story under “RELATED”?
ABC’s links all in a row..
– 4 Recruiter Suicides Lead to Army Probe
– Army Recruiter Suicides Raise Alarm
– Would-Be Soldiers Too Fat to Serve
What a convienent story to insert those “Related” links in? Screw ’em!!!!!!!!!
Overseas Contingency Operations my ass. The fucking FBI better get its head out of its ASS and start going after the Real terrorists and screw that abortion doctor too. Have ya all seen what a late term aborted baby looks like? My God how could someone do that? Sorry about the”f” bombs but I’m so fucking pissed right now I can’t see straight.
FREE CARLOS FREE CARLOS FREE CARLOS FREE CARLOS FREE CARLOS…THAT WAS MY DAWG! MEMPHIS
Another offering of “Peace” from the Religion of Peace.
[…Twin City Tours, a Little Rock travel company, was listed as Muhammad’s employer on an arrest report.]
———————
Twin City Tours
Melvin Bledsoe
925 S. University (inside Little Rock Hilton Hotel)
Little Rock, AR 72204
501-748-4794
501-686-2030 (24 Hours)
twincitytours@aol.com
http://www.twincitytours.com
————————
He supposedly only worked there a few months. Their office is located in the Hilton Hotel. What’s still unknown is if similar named company, Twin City Security, who also has contracts with Hilton Hotels, is related to this company.