Imam Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of Michigan, holds a photo of the slain Detroit Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah who was assassinated by the FBI on Oct. 28, 2009. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Cox: No laws broken in fatal FBI shooting of imam
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
No state laws were violated in the killing of a Detroit mosque leader, who died during a shootout with the FBI, according to Attorney General Mike Cox's office.
Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was killed Oct. 28 at a Dearborn warehouse in October.
Abdullah was shot 20 times by FBI agents after he allegedly fired a weapon and killed an FBI dog.
The gunfire occurred during an attempted arrest in connection with an indictment involving dealing in stolen goods and other alleged crimes.
"My office's review found undisputed evidence that Mr. Abdullah resisted arrest and fired a gun first in the direction of the agents," Cox said. "Under Michigan law, law enforcement agents are justified in using deadly force in these types of situations, and therefore we found no crimes."
There was no immediate comment from the FBI.
An internal FBI investigation of the shooting has been completed and is under review by the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department.
"It's nice to see some of the facts getting out there," said Andrew Arena, special agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit. "There is relief, but all along I've said we did what we had to do that day."
The Attorney General's office reviewed the shooting and arrest of Abdullah and four others after the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office declined.
"Based upon those circumstances, we question the veracity of anything that comes out of his office," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan (CAIR), who has expressed concern about the FBI shooting and the autopsy report.
He is eagerly awaiting the Justice Department report and a chance to review key pieces of evidence that his group has requested under the Freedom of Information Act, including surveillance footage of the raid, which might show the fatal shooting.
Walid's group also requested test results showing whether Abdullah fired a weapon and the caliber of bullets that struck the FBI dog to see if the bullets were fired by Abdullah or a law enforcement agent.
"We've still got 11 guys facing federal charges and there's a lot of evidence I would personally like to see out in the public realm, but it's pretty inflammatory and could adversely effect their ability to get a fair trial," Arena said.
The review included interviewing 82 people and examining more than 1,600 pages of files and video recordings from the FBI and Dearborn Police.
Cox's report indicates there were 66 agents involved in the raid, 29 of whom were hidden inside the warehouse. Agents monitored the raid on a closed-circuit television linked with five different surveillance cameras inside the warehouse.
Agents even conducted three rehearsals inside the warehouse before the actual raid.
Agents were informed that they were not allowed to use deadly force to protect the FBI dog's life.
After the raid began, Abdullah ignored commands ordering him to lie down and show his hands. Instead, he ran to a locked exit before fleeing to a nearby semi-trailer.
He stood against the wall and hid one arm behind his back. As agents approached with guns drawn, Abdullah laid down on his stomach inside one of the trailers, his hands hidden under his body.
Agents repeatedly asked him to show his hands. He refused and was warned the dog would be released.
He continued to refuse and the dog rushed to Abdullah, biting the Imam's upper body.
Abdullah rolled over on his side, revealing a handgun in his right hand.
The report said four FBI agents were directly involved in the shooting, and each told investigators they feared for their lives and the lives of others. Under state law, they returned fire in self-defense, killing Abdullah.
The Attorney General's review also included interviewing the Wayne County Medical Examiner to learn more about facial injuries suffered by Abdullah.
The imam's autopsy has raised concern among groups after a report released in February showed Abdullah was shot 21 times and said the medical examiner found his body handcuffed inside a trailer when he arrived at the Dearborn warehouse that was the scene of the shooting.
Abayomi Azikiwe of the Michigan Emergency Committee against War and Injustice called Abdullah's death a "targeted assassination."
During the review by Cox's office, the medical examiner said there is insufficient evidence to definitively state how those injuries were caused.
"Theories include injury from the action of the slide on the pistol Abdullah was firing extremely close to his face, injury from being turned over by agents to facilitate handcuffing, or injury from the dog," according to the report. "None of the eyewitness statements, nor any of the video footage, supplies any evidence that Abdullah's facial injuries were sustained post-mortem."
Ballistics and necropsy reports on the dead dog indicate the canine was shot three times by the handgun recovered from Abdullah's body
rsnell@detnews.com (313) 222-2028
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100930/METRO/9300475/Cox--No-laws-broken-in-fatal-FBI-shooting-of-imam#ixzz115Ef3RKW
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