WASHINGTON, 30 July 2006 — Ramifications over Israel’s continued assault in Lebanon took a nasty turn Friday afternoon in Washington state when six women were shot — one fatally — at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was upset about “what was going on in Israel.” The suspect, Naveed Afzal Haq, told building staff members before he began shooting that he was “a Muslim American” who was “angry at Israel.” Television footage showed a man identified as Haq being arrested on a nearby street a short time later. He was booked on one count of homicide and five of attempted homicide.” News reports yesterday said Haq is mentally unstable.
The five victims, all women ranged in age from their 20s to 40s. Each suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, knee, groin or arm. Three were listed in critical condition, and two were in satisfactory condition.
David Gomez, an FBI assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism, said: “There’s nothing to indicate that it’s terrorism-related. But we’re monitoring the entire situation.” The FBI has sent two warnings to local law enforcement officials in the past week to “remain vigilant, given the activity overseas.” Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon began almost three weeks ago. The federation’s website describes its mission as “to ensure Jewish survival and enhance the quality of Jewish life by meeting needs locally, in Israel and worldwide.” It was among the sponsors of a Solidarity With Israel rally last weekend.
People of all faiths reacted with shock, sadness and condemnation Friday night after learning of the shootings.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, immediately condemned the attack. In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said: “We condemn this senseless attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured.
The American Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted to this country.” A spokesman for Muslims statewide decried the shootings and said the suspect, who was arrested on the scene, was not driven by true Muslim faith.
“I feel for the people who have been shot, for their families,” said Jeff Siddiqui of American Muslims of Puget Sound, Washington. “We work hard to build relationships with Jews and Christians. This is the very thing we’re trying to prevent being done to Muslims — and here’s a Muslim doing this to others. It just makes me sick.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Seattle also condemned the shootings. “When one of us is attacked, none of us are safe,” it said in a statement. “We refuse to see the violence in the Middle East spill over to our cities and neighborhoods.”
