While there is evidence against the man accused of killing one soldier and wounding another outside a recruiting center, questions should be raised about whether the FBI had enough information about the suspect to prevent the shootings, the man’s lawyer said Friday.
Abdulhakim Muhammad, born Carlos Bledsoe, won a four-month delay in his capital murder trial after attorney Claiborne Ferguson said he needed more time to prepare.
Outside court, Ferguson questioned whether the FBI missed warning signs for the June 1 shooting, in which Pvt. William Andrew Long was killed and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula was wounded.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ferguson said Muhammad claimed he had been questioned by the FBI when he was in Yemen in September 2007, after he converted to Islam. Yemeni immigration officials arrested Muhammad in November 2008 after he overstayed his visa and possessed a fake Somali passport.
“I think somebody who recently converts traveling to Yemen, winding up getting arrested and thrown into jail in a foreign country, if it’s not a red flag, it’s certainly a yellow flag that should have gotten somebody’s attention,” Ferguson said.
FBI spokeswoman Karen Vorhes said the agency would not comment.
Ferguson raised questions similar to those voiced after last week’s fatal shootings of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The military and law enforcement said after the attack that some concerns had previously been raised about the suspect.
“That’s some of the stuff we’re still trying to determine as part of our investigation: Exactly who knew what when and what could have been done to step in?” Ferguson said. “It doesn’t take away the responsibility or change the acts of my client, but it seems like we’ve reached the end that we necessarily didn’t have to reach.”
Muhammad, who has called the AP twice since his arrest, has claimed responsibility for the shooting and said it was justified because of what he called American-directed hostilities toward the Muslim world.
As he was being escorted out of the courthouse Friday, Muhammad said “jihad” three times when he was asked by reporters about the shooting and about his thoughts about the Fort Hood massacre.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright Jr. granted Ferguson’s motion to delay the trial from Feb. 15 to June 7. Prosecutors, who are seeking Muhammad’s execution, said the victims’ families want to move quickly.
Ferguson told reporters it was unlikely he would claim insanity as a defense, though he didn’t rule out a mental evaluation.
“I think for the most part there is a lot of proof in this case as to who the party is and who is responsible,” Ferguson said. “I think at this point what we’re looking at is what his intent was and what his motivations were, and that’s some of the stuff we’ll present to the jury.”
The slain soldier’s father, Daris Long, attended Friday’s hearing but declined to comment.
Long, 23, of Conway, had just completed basic training and was volunteering at the suburban Little Rock recruiting office before starting an assignment in South Korea. Police say Muhammad shot Long and Ezeagwula, who were smoking outside the station. Police arrested Muhammad a short time later and recovered an assault rifle and two other weapons in his SUV.
A previous lawyer said Muhammad was “radicalized” while being detained in Yemen — a claim Muhammad has denied.