Iranian in campus 'car attack'
Claims he needed to "avenge the deaths of
Muslims"!
A recent University of North Carolina graduate was charged with nine counts of attempted murder Saturday, a day after authorities say he drove through a popular campus gathering spot in an attempt to avenge Muslim deaths.
Derek Poarch, chief of the university police department, confirmed Saturday that Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a 22-year-old Iran native, told investigators he wanted to “avenge the deaths or murders of Muslims around the world.” Poarch would not provide any other details on the motive.
Taheri-azar also is charged with nine counts of assault.
Taheri-azar, who called police to surrender and then awaited officers on a street two miles from campus, is cooperating with investigators, Poarch said. The FBI has also interviewed him, but Poarch said he did not know whether he would be federally charged.
Taheri-azar graduated from the university in December after studying psychology and philosophy. Investigators believe he has spent most of his life in the United States, Poarch said.
Learned a lot at school, eh?
Posted: Sun - March 5, 2006 at 06:08 AM