 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo Alex Withrow Leesburg Police Chief Joseph Price talks to the media on Thursday about the capture of Elias Abuelazam. |
The man suspected of a multistate killing and stabbing spree, including three victims in Leesburg, is being held at the Atlanta Police Department awaiting extradition to Michigan, authorities said Thursday.
Elias Abuelazam, 33, an Israeli citizen of Arab descent, was taken into custody without incident at 10 p.m. Wednesday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Leesburg Police said.
Abuelazam has not yet been charged in connection with the three stabbings in Leesburg on Aug. 3, 5 and 6.
“While we’re still early in this investigation, I’m confident in saying we can place Abuelazam in the Northern Virginia area during the time of our attacks,” said Leesburg Police Chief Joseph Price.
Price said he believes the attacks in Leesburg were racially motivated.
“For our community, the Town of Leesburg, when you look at our demographics and you look at the victims here, my belief is he selected the victims of Leesburg based upon their color of their skin,” Price said.
However, Abuelazam has been charged in Michigan with assault with intent to murder, authorities said.
“The important thing, obviously, is that the person that we believe is responsible is off the street. Equally important to all of us is that he remain off the street,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman.
A tip to Michigan authorities led U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to stop Abuelazam before he boarded a plane for Tel Aviv.
According to media reports, authorities paged Abuelazam over the airport’s intercom and took him into custody when he approached the gate.
Abuelazam was traveling on an expired passport.
Authorities said they’re still trying to determine if he was legally in the United States.
He wasn’t flagged on any terrorism watch lists, according to U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection officials.
Leesburg authorities on Thursday said the suspect in the multistate stabbing spree had “strong ties” to Northern Virginia and Leesburg.
Leesburg authorities are looking into a possible connection between Abuelazam and the 2009 stabbing death of Leesburg resident Jammie Lane.
“We’re going to explore all possible connections and that case remains a very active case. It is under constant investigation,” Price said.
“We’re not ruling anything out,” he added.
The chief said authorities still are investigating whether Abuelazam was in the country during the Lane murder.
Leesburg Police Officer Chris Jones said Abuelazam was stopped during the late night hours of Aug. 4 by Arlington County Police for a traffic violation.
Arlington County Police later arrested Abuelazam on an outstanding warrant stemming from a 2008 domestic assault in Leesburg. Police discovered the warrant during a background check during the traffic stop.
He was later released on his own recognizance.
Abuelazam, according to Plowman, served a month in jail in Loudoun County in 2007 after he provided false information on an application to buy a firearm in Virginia.
Plowman said the suspect failed to disclose a 1995 felony conviction from California for fraud.
Truth is right,
hehe if i was a LOSER with no job i’d take your advice, I was simply stating the fact that why would any 15 year old need a concealed weapon? never ONCE did i say tax payers should take care of the “trash” that lives in leesburg or anywhere in this god for saken place people call AMERICA! I of all people cannot stand seeing TRASH & ILLEGALS being taken care of with hard earned money, but seriously a 15 year old kid? are you kidding me? perhaps you DO NOT UNDERSTAND where I was going with the statement of too young to carry?
Truth
Yes you are so right. Um ok, yes this guy was trying to help his uncle out, but if you look at their heritage and back ground. You are so right. These people need to go back where they came from or keep the piece. They really need to rip down Hancock Place and Heritage Sqwuare. People need to be more open. Everyone is tired of wasting their tax dollars on those people. What a waste of life… ( I believe this sick of Dumbies is one of them. Can I say ;-p. I am sure most these people get guns illegally. Don’t you understand. I think you need to go to your corner and go find a f——- job. LOSER
at 09:13 AM by Truth:
Um those people that were stabbed were probably (FELONS) couldn’t get a permit even if they wanted to. I am just thinking of the stats for that area. It isn’t River Creek. SAD BUT TURE
First of all you must be 21 to receive/hold a concealed weapons permit, 15 & 19 are two young, and i am sure the 15year old was a real hard ass felon since he was attempting to help this man when he said he was having car trouble. Secondly, stop commenting on these articles, you seem to have nothing but diarrhea of the mouth! and everything you say is just run on!
Um those people that were stabbed were probably (FELONS) couldn’t get a permit even if they wanted to. I am just thinking of the stats for that area. It isn’t River Creek. SAD BUT TURE
James@
I bet those people who got attacked are wishing they had obtained a Concealed Handgun Permit and a Handgun. You never know when some crack pot is going to choose you as a target. The police can’t save you when a knife is in your back. All they can do is come place a sheet over your dead body. As such, a gun is your best defense until law enforcement can show up. Hopefully they are placing a sheet over the attacker and not the victim.
Lets face it to the point that we should face the mere fact that guns are made not as a design or a prop to our body. It is actually made to kill. And the matter of the fact that guns are made by man. So therefore, The main point is that man kills man. So at to this case of this suspect he didn’t even uses a gun. He even prefer to use a knife, Although knife would preferably be too silent to kill. Maybe that is his strategy to kill. Good thing that he had been captured.
<a >Cheap International Calls</a>
Dear TooManGunsNotEnoughKnives,
Have you read any more on this killer? He served a month in jail for providing false information attempting to purchase a weapon. Apparently the background check worked…. Had he me up with me I would have been able to protect myself and put a bullet between his eyes. There are not enough guns in the hands a LAW ABIDING citizens….
This was in the NY Times—“Last week, the police in Virginia stopped Mr. Abuelazam on a traffic violation and discovered that there was a warrant in Leesburg for his arrest on a simple assault violation. But he was released from custody after promising to appear in court, said Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman for the police department in Arlington County, Va. “
To The Police Chief in Arlington :: Tell your officers to detain EVERYBODY they encounter with an Arrest Warrant. Can you believe this? The man is wanted and he was released. Liberal Justice doesn’t work. Criminals are Bad People… People with warrants for their arrest typically don’t show up in court, Duh… lol
Of course, if just one of his victims (VA or MI) had a gun, that would have been the end of the spree. Rock beats paper; guns beat knives.
Plus how about the magistrate in Arlington who let him walk out just hours before he stabbed the 67 year old man in Leesburg? What is this guy’s immigration status? Leesburg Today reports he is an Isreali citizen of Arab descent.
Just like the DUI illegal who killed the nun last week. Arrested for something, has a hearing, walks free.
Moral of the story—close the borders.
So let’s revisit that old theory of guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Just think of all the additional lives he could have taken though if he indeed had used a gun instead of a knife. Anyone can obtain a gun, it’s amazing that he didn’t. Though the knifings are much more silent and thus no noise and no commotion to draw attention. Still, it took one guy how many different incidences to kill 5 people when it took the the guy in Connecticut only 5 minutes for as many?
Moral of the story = too many guns are bad.
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