Slain Detroit Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah who was assassinated by the FBI on October 28, 2009. The Muslim cleric was shot 21 times after being lured to a warehouse by government informants.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
By ERIC D. LAWRENCE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Muslim group released five photos today taken as part of the investigation into the fatal shooting of a cleric during a raid by FBI agents in Dearborn last year.
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released the five photos of the body of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah to the media from among 75 photos obtained from the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. The photos were released to CAIR after the imam’s widow, Amina Abdullah,and one of his sons, Mujahid Carswell, approved the request.
Three of the photos are close-ups showing missing teeth as well as cuts, gashes and other injuries on Abdullah’s face and head. CAIR questions whether the latter injuries are from the police dog that the FBI says was fatally shot by the imam.
Two photos show Abdullah on the ground after he was killed. One shows him lying face down with his hands cuffed behind his back — something authorities have said is standard procedure.
Dawud Walid, the council’s executive director, said nationally known forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht has been asked to review both the autopsy report and the photos.
“There are a lot of questions, and the photos raise more questions,” Walid said, adding that other photos were deemed too graphic by the family and CAIR to release to the media. The Free Press is only showing the photo of the imam handcuffed and face down because of similar concerns.
According to the autopsy, Abdullah was shot 20 times, with one bullet causing two wounds.
The FBI has said it acted appropriately in the two-year investigation, raid and shootout that left Abdullah dead. Agents on the Oct. 28 raid wanted to arrest the cleric and 10 other people on suspicion of dealing in stolen goods.
Delays in the release of the autopsy report and completion of a Dearborn Police investigation have fueled criticism of the case’s handling. The FBI and the Department of Justice are also reviewing the matter.
FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtoldsaid today that the agency had no comment on the release of the photos.
Omar Regan, one of Abdullah’s 13 children, said he washed his father’s body after he was killed, but was still troubled seeing the photos.
“It’s clear that something went wrong,” he told the Free Press.
Livonia Police Chief Robert Stevenson recounted today a run-in with Abdullah in 1980 when the imam was known as Christopher Thomas. Stevenson, who was a patrol officer at the time, stopped a car in which Abdullah was a passenger because its brake lights weren’t working.
Abdullah, who was carrying a gun in a shoulder holster, fought with then-Officer Stevenson outside the car and tried to grab the gun, he said. Abdullah was arrested after Officer David Wilkie arrived and pointed his own gun at Abdullah.
Contact ERIC D. LAWRENCE: 313-223-4272 or elawrence@freepress.com.
April 7, 2010 http://detnews.com/article/20100407/METRO01/4070405
Autopsy photos released of slain imam
SANTIAGO ESPARZA
The Detroit News
Southfield --The Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan office released photos today that it says show evidence not detailed in official reports of the Oct. 28 fatal shooting of an imam during an FBI sting.
As result of preliminary government reports, CAIR has called for an independent investigation of the slaying of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, saying his body had injuries not detailed in an autopsy report and that the new photos back their claims.
CAIR says it believes the photos capture injuries that could have come from an FBI dog also killed in the incident despite the autopsy report listing the cause of those injuries as inconclusive. CAIR obtained the photos from the medical examiner.
Federal authorities have said that Abdullah shot the FBI dog and fired at agents during the raid on an FBI-controlled Dearborn warehouse in October, warranting the return fire that ultimately killed the Muslim cleric. FBI officials have alleged Abdullah was part of a ring fencing stolen goods.
The five photos show numerous cuts and scratches on the face of Abdullah. One shows the cleric handcuffed on a floor that's stained with what appears to be blood.
CAIR has maintained since October that Abdullah may have been attacked by the FBI dog, prompting the fatal shooting that left Abdullah struck 20 times.
The Dearborn Police Department and U.S. Department of Justice are investigating the shooting but have not completed their probes.
The FBI was not available for comment this morning.
Due to their graphic nature, The Detroit News and detnews.com have decided not to run the photos.
sesparza@detnews.com">sesparza@detnews.com (313) 222-2320
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