TERRORISM HITS LOS ANGELES - 3 DEAD IN AIRPORT ATTACK
US Feds Denying Terrorism

July 5-----Jerusalem......An Islamic terrorist attacked a passenger terminal at Los Angeles airport yesterday, murdering two civilians and wounding several others. The terrorist has been identified as a 41 year-old Egyptian who was living in the States for ten years.

The two civilians killed in the shooting attack at the Los Angeles International Airport were a young woman in her 20's, who was employed in El Al's Los Angeles ground crew and lived there, and Yaakov Aminov, 46, Yuval Rotem, Israel's Consul-General in Los Angeles, stated Friday morning.

Rotem said that some 80 or 90 passengers were standing in line at the El Al ticket counter at LAX's Bradley Terminal. During the shooting, Israel Radio reported, most of the passengers had gone through security checkups and were inside the passenger terminal area.

Eyewitness Dr. David Parkus heard five or six shots in quick succession, and turned from the Singapore Airlines counter to see the terrorist wrestling with an El Al security guard. A second guard then charged and shot the gunman, Parkus said. As the gunman collapsed, Parkus said he saw a long hunting knife fall to the floor.

One guard was hit on the forehead with the butt of the gun and cut on the right arm, and the second security agent was cut on the lower back, stabbed on the left thigh, and had a superficial gunshot wound to his right thigh, said Parkus, a trauma surgeon from Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas.

Parkus said he helped hold the gunmen as he died, then performed CPR on two victims.

"We, the Israeli people, are unfortunately too familiar with terror, and from our experience it looks very much like a terrorist attack." - Israel's LA Consul-General Yuval Rotem

Asked about other Israeli officials' declaring the shooting as a terrorist attack, he said: "We, the Israeli people, are unfortunately too familiar with terror, and from our experience it looks very much like a terrorist attack." Rotem said.

He said that discussions he had with Israeli security personnel at the terminal after the attack corroborated media reports saying the shooter was identified as an Arab, or Middle eastern, male. Israel's Deputy Consul in Los Angeles said one of the wounded in the Los Angeles International Airport shooting attack Thursday was Haim Safir, head of El Al security at LAX. Safir quickly spotted the shooter advancing towards the El Al ticket counter armed with a handgun and a knife. He intercepted the shooter, was stabbed by him, and then fatally shot him. Safir, acted quickly and bravely, saving many lives. Safir could have easily shot the terrorist - end of story. But no - he risked his life to perhaps save the terrorist's life at first - maybe thinking that for intelligence purposes a live, captured terrorist is better than a dead, non-speaking one.

However, FBI Special Agent Rick Garcia said it was as yet unclear what the identity of the assailant was, but that a coroner working with the FBI was on the job to ascertain that. Since Garcia spoke the terrorist has been identified as Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, 41, a resident of Irvine, California.

The governor of California praised the airline's response, saying security agents acted quickly and prevented a greater loss of life. Expressing outrage and sadness, Gov. Gray Davis said, "That it happened on the day on which we honor what America stands for — liberty, security and diversity — makes this particularly more tragic."

"My heart, as well of those of all Californians, aches for the victims of this shooting and their families," he said.

FEDERAL SPIN ON TERRORISM

FBI and local law enforcement officials have not declared this attack as a terrorist attack. Rather, they say that they are investigating. Investigating what? An Egyptian walks into a civilian airport in LA, armed with two guns and a hunting knife, takes aim at a Jewish / Israeli target - EL AL Airlines - and starts spraying the terminal with bullets.
Israel's Foreign Ministry and Transport Ministry have confirmed that this was indeed a terrorist attack - a subject that Israelis know all to well. What is insulting here is how USA Federal authorities, in an attempt to calm the American people are playing a game of denial. Some state that this Islamic terrorist was a disgruntled employee."We've never said it's not terrorism," FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin said. "We can't rule that out, but there's nothing to indicate terrorism at this point."

McLaughlin also suggested it might be a hate crime. Yes - there was also a lot of hate going around on 9/11!

Who had ever heard of a disgruntled Egyptian employee of EL AL? And if this is to be United States Federal public relations spin on acts of terrorism in the United States - then we must have witnessed plenty of disgruntled passengers flying the skies of the US on 9/11!
Please don't insult the intelligence of the average John Doe.

If this was an act of terror and violence on American soil by Pakistanis against Indians - it would still be a terrorist attack.
This Egyptian did not calmly walk up to the EL AL ticket counter with a hidden gun equipped with a silencer, but rather emptied his gun's magazine in all directions. Anyone could have been hit. That is terrorism.

The American public was reassured by the White House that this was an "isolated incident" and was told to continue enjoying the 4th of July holiday. "Isolated incident" - so if only one tower of the World Trade Center had been hit - would that also have constituted an "isolated incident"?
Yes - it is important to maintain calm, to reassure the American public that safety and security measures have been taken and we commend USA law and intelligence agencies for performing a great and difficult job but please take a lesson from former New York Mayor Rudy Gulliani and tell the people the truth and to work with the truth. Giving the American people "grey areas" and denying a terrorist attack took place provides much greater problems - it's called credibility.

Israeli terror victims Yakov Aminov, left, and Victoria Hen.

Let's provide people with facts and details that does not interfere with security considerations.
Let's avoid the arrogance that "it can't happen here" that this editor witnessed in the States over and over again prior to September 11th. Let people know what's going on - this gives us a sense of control and allows us to adapt accordingly.
Terrorists may attempt to take away our freedoms - but the basic freedom to think and access a situation and to make personal judgments as a result - no one has the right to play with, neither terrorists nor governments.

Terrorism - face it, work with it, destroy it!

A rose is a rose is a rose - a terrorist attack is a terrorist attack. Terrorism - face it, work with it, destroy it.
The USA was born of greatness - the American people have much to be proud of on this July 4th.
The first July 4th in a very long time that transcends the shallow symbolism of a holiday but rather takes on it's original and substantial meaning - freedom and fighting to stay free.

ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY