http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030409-825001.htm
U.S. fears attacks from Muslims in armed forces
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. intelligence and security officials fear attacks by Muslim U.S. soldiers opposed to the war in Iraq in the wake of a fatal grenade attack in Kuwait blamed on a Muslim soldier in the Army.
"There is concern that this may not be an isolated incident," said one intelligence official familiar with the investigation of Sgt. Asan Akbar, a member of the 101st Airborne Division who is charged with killing two U.S. soldiers in a grenade attack.
A brief report on concerns about attacks from American Muslims in the military was contained in an intelligence report sent to senior Bush administration officials earlier this month.
Sgt. Akbar, 32, was charged March 25 with two counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, military officials said.
The attack involved Sgt. Akbar rolling three grenades into three tents at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait, where soldiers were sleeping at a base for the 101st Airborne, military officials said. He also fired a rifle at soldiers who fled from the tents, officials said.
The Army, with help from the FBI, is continuing to investigate the case. A military official said the service is trying to determine whether the attack was a premeditated terrorist strike.
The attack killed Army Capt. Christopher S. Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone. Fourteen other soldiers were wounded.
Military spokesmen said no additional security measures have been taken since the attack March 23.
However, one defense official said U.S. military counterintelligence agencies are involved in the effort to investigate Muslim soldiers, both in the Persian Gulf region and in the United States.
Asked about the threat of Muslims within the military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the motivation for the grenade attack has not been confirmed.
"First of all, we don't know what that attack was," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "I don't disagree with you that there have been reports, but that doesn't make them so. It's a matter that's under investigation."
The grenade attack in Kuwait is a politically sensitive issue for the Bush administration, which has said the war against terrorism and operations in Iraq are not part of a war against Islam.
Some Muslim leaders in the Middle East and Europe have called for a jihad, or holy war, against the United States, as has Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, whose ruling Ba'ath Party is secular and has persecuted Muslims, especially Shi'ites.
Military officials close to the case said Sgt. Akbar said after the attack, "You guys are coming into our countries, and you're going to rape our women and kill our children," the Los Angeles Times has reported.
NBC News has reported that Sgt. Akbar was "opposed to the killing of Muslims and opposed to the war in Iraq." Reuters news agency quoted a military official as saying Sgt. Akbar was "a Muslim, and it seems he was just against the war."
The Los Angeles Times, quoting a source close to Sgt. Akbar's family, also reported that the soldier called his ex-wife's family a day before the grenade attack and asked them to say "final prayers" for him.
Sgt. Akbar, also known as Mark Fidel Kools, is being held at a military base in the United States. He is a convert to Islam, relatives say.
A U.S. military official said more than 4,100 Muslims are in the U.S. armed forces, with 1,995 in the Army, 760 in the Air Force, 924 in the Navy and 486 in the Marine Corps.
A spokesman for the American Muslim Council said, "There are a lot of Muslims in the military, and we expect them to do their duty.
"Our position is such that if Muslims in the military are opposed to military action, they can take whatever legal means in their hands to oppose such action rather than the action that we saw in Kuwait. Those actions are un-Islamic," the spokesman said.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command said he had no information on whether any additional security measures were taken in response to the grenade attack.
Navy spokesman Cmdr. Tom Van Leunen said his branch had taken no additional security measures since the Kuwait incident.
"We view our sailors as Americans first, Americans with full religious freedom," he said. "We do not single out any religious group."
However, Cmdr. Van Leunen said, "We routinely train our officers, chiefs and petty officers to recognize significant behavioral changes in subordinates and to intervene on their behalf if necessary."
A Marine Corps spokesman said the Marines have not added any security or force protection measures in response to the grenade attack in Kuwait.
"The Marine Corps is built on shared group values. We draw strength from our diversity, but to the extent that any Marine would force personal beliefs on fellow Marines runs counter to the Corps' culture," Maj. Matt McLaughlin said.
U.S. fears attacks from Muslims in armed forces
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. intelligence and security officials fear attacks by Muslim U.S. soldiers opposed to the war in Iraq in the wake of a fatal grenade attack in Kuwait blamed on a Muslim soldier in the Army.
"There is concern that this may not be an isolated incident," said one intelligence official familiar with the investigation of Sgt. Asan Akbar, a member of the 101st Airborne Division who is charged with killing two U.S. soldiers in a grenade attack.
A brief report on concerns about attacks from American Muslims in the military was contained in an intelligence report sent to senior Bush administration officials earlier this month.
Sgt. Akbar, 32, was charged March 25 with two counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, military officials said.
The attack involved Sgt. Akbar rolling three grenades into three tents at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait, where soldiers were sleeping at a base for the 101st Airborne, military officials said. He also fired a rifle at soldiers who fled from the tents, officials said.
The Army, with help from the FBI, is continuing to investigate the case. A military official said the service is trying to determine whether the attack was a premeditated terrorist strike.
The attack killed Army Capt. Christopher S. Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone. Fourteen other soldiers were wounded.
Military spokesmen said no additional security measures have been taken since the attack March 23.
However, one defense official said U.S. military counterintelligence agencies are involved in the effort to investigate Muslim soldiers, both in the Persian Gulf region and in the United States.
Asked about the threat of Muslims within the military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the motivation for the grenade attack has not been confirmed.
"First of all, we don't know what that attack was," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "I don't disagree with you that there have been reports, but that doesn't make them so. It's a matter that's under investigation."
The grenade attack in Kuwait is a politically sensitive issue for the Bush administration, which has said the war against terrorism and operations in Iraq are not part of a war against Islam.
Some Muslim leaders in the Middle East and Europe have called for a jihad, or holy war, against the United States, as has Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, whose ruling Ba'ath Party is secular and has persecuted Muslims, especially Shi'ites.
Military officials close to the case said Sgt. Akbar said after the attack, "You guys are coming into our countries, and you're going to rape our women and kill our children," the Los Angeles Times has reported.
NBC News has reported that Sgt. Akbar was "opposed to the killing of Muslims and opposed to the war in Iraq." Reuters news agency quoted a military official as saying Sgt. Akbar was "a Muslim, and it seems he was just against the war."
The Los Angeles Times, quoting a source close to Sgt. Akbar's family, also reported that the soldier called his ex-wife's family a day before the grenade attack and asked them to say "final prayers" for him.
Sgt. Akbar, also known as Mark Fidel Kools, is being held at a military base in the United States. He is a convert to Islam, relatives say.
A U.S. military official said more than 4,100 Muslims are in the U.S. armed forces, with 1,995 in the Army, 760 in the Air Force, 924 in the Navy and 486 in the Marine Corps.
A spokesman for the American Muslim Council said, "There are a lot of Muslims in the military, and we expect them to do their duty.
"Our position is such that if Muslims in the military are opposed to military action, they can take whatever legal means in their hands to oppose such action rather than the action that we saw in Kuwait. Those actions are un-Islamic," the spokesman said.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command said he had no information on whether any additional security measures were taken in response to the grenade attack.
Navy spokesman Cmdr. Tom Van Leunen said his branch had taken no additional security measures since the Kuwait incident.
"We view our sailors as Americans first, Americans with full religious freedom," he said. "We do not single out any religious group."
However, Cmdr. Van Leunen said, "We routinely train our officers, chiefs and petty officers to recognize significant behavioral changes in subordinates and to intervene on their behalf if necessary."
A Marine Corps spokesman said the Marines have not added any security or force protection measures in response to the grenade attack in Kuwait.
"The Marine Corps is built on shared group values. We draw strength from our diversity, but to the extent that any Marine would force personal beliefs on fellow Marines runs counter to the Corps' culture," Maj. Matt McLaughlin said.
