CAIRO, 8 July — The wife of Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, an Egyptian accused of attacking El Al check-in counter in Los Angeles, stated yesterday that her husband was a victim of injustice.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, Hala Muhammad Sadek Al-Awadley emphatically denied reports that Hadayet attacked the Israeli airline’s office.
In her first interview after the incident on Thursday, Hala said her husband was not in a position to carry a gun. “He was not enlisted in the Egyptian Army being the only son of his father,” she explained.
Hala said she had traveled to the United States with her husband in 1992 and returned to Egypt only after receiving the green card three years ago. Hadayet and his family were expected to receive US citizenship soon after their return from Egypt, she pointed out.
The American media had reported that Hadayet was carrying two guns and that he attacked the Israeli company for firing him from his job. But Hala said her husband was not an employee. “He was owner of a rent-a-car company” which transported passengers to and from the airport.
She also pointed out that FBI agents had found all official documents related to Hadayet in his car. “If he had any intention to carry out any attack, he would have certainly hidden his identity,” she added.
