Radio Utopie

Washington: „Wir..verstehen alle, dass es angemessen ist, den Auftritt von Generalstaatsanwalt Gonzales vor dem Komitee im Lichte der tragischen Ereignisse bis Donnerstag zu verschieben“, so der Vorsitzende des Justizausschusses des US-Senats, der Gonzales heute wegen der US-Justizaffäre eigentlich vorgeladen hatte(1).Allgemein war davon ausgegangen worden, dass sich das Schicksal des leitenden Generalstaatsanwalts und Justizministers in Personalunion, Alberto Gonzales, heute vor dem Parlamentskomitee entscheiden würde.
Gonzales hatte behauptet, in keinster Weise in die Diskussionen um die Entlassung oder Entfernung von einzelnen US-Bundesstaatsanwälten verwickelt zu sein.
Sein früherer Stabschef Kyle Sampson, der bereits wegen der Affäre zurücktreten musste (wir berichteten,2), behauptete am Sonntag unter Eid abermals das Gegenteil: in mindestens 2 Fällen, dem von Bundesstaatsanwalt David C. Iglesias aus New Mexico und dem brisanten Fall von Bundesstaatsanwältin Carol Lam, sei Gonzales direkt an Vorgesprächen beteiligt gewesen, die sich darum drehten, wie man diese lästigen Staatsanwälte loswerden könne (3)

Carol Lam ermittelte seit 2005 im Skandal um den einflussreichen Republikaner und Kongressabgeordneten Randy „Duke“ Cunningham, den Einkäufer des Pentagon Brent Wilkes und den der CIA-Operationschef „Dusty“ Foggo. Alle waren in gemeinsame Korruptionsfälle verstrickt und trafen sich mit herangekarrten Prostituierten im Watergate-Hotel.
Carol Lam war im November 2006 aus ihrem Amt in San Diego entlassen worden, der Chef des FBI in San Diego, Dan Dzwilewski, hatte sich öffentlich darüber beschwert.
Daraufhin hatte Justizminister und Generalstaatsanwalt Gonzales bei der FBI-Zentrale unter Robert Mueller „nachgefragt“, warum denn ein FBI-Beamter die Handlungen des Justizministeriums kommentiere. FBI-Direktor Dzwilewski war daraufhin zum Schweigen verdonnert worden (wir berichteten, 4).

DAS MASSAKER VON BLACKSBURG

Der Präsident der Virginia Tech Uni von Blacksburg, Dr. Charles Steger, der bereits am Montag Beileidsanrufe von US-Präsident Bush und Alberto Gonzales entgegennehmen durfte, konnte bis jetzt nicht erklären, warum er nach 2 Morden auf dem Uni-Gelände am Montag Morgen den Unterrichtsbetrieb nicht sofort beendete.
Nach Angaben der Polizei ereigneten sich die Morde gegen 7.15 im West Ambler Johnston-Schlafsaal der Uni, den „der Schütze“ betrat und die Opfer erschoss.
Die Polizei erschien am Tatort.

Dann passierte erst einmal nichts.
Gar nichts.
Alles lief weiter auf dem Uni-Gelände.
Kein Alarm, keine Durchsuchungen, keine Hektik, keine Durchsagen – nichts.
Und das, obwohl es mindestens 2 Bombendrohungen in den letzten Wochen gegeben und letztes Jahr schon einmal eine Schiesserei auf dem Gelände der Virginia Tech gegeben hatte (6).
Es wurde offenbar noch extra eine E-Mail losgeschickt, nach der es sicher sei auf dem Campus („He received the e-mail that it was safe to be on campus..“, 6)
Nur eine warnende E-Mail eines Studenten machte die Runde, so berichtete es der Student Michael O‘Brien in der L.A.Times (6).

Laut Aussage von Studentin Alex Mengel gegenüber ABC wurde eine E-Mail um 9.26 Uhr versendet, die wörtlich besagte:
„Es hat eine Schiesserei gegeben..heute früh am Morgen. Die Polizei ist vor Ort und untersucht“, so der Text der E-Mail laut Mengel. „Die Universitätsgemeinde wird dringend gebeten vorsichtig zu sein und die Campus-Polizei zu benachrichtigen wenn Sie etwas Verdächtiges bemerken oder Informationen zu diesem Vorfall haben“(9).
Ganz offenbar ist das die E-Mail, von der auch Michael O‘Brien in der L.A.Times berichtet.

Zwischen dem Schlafsaal und dem Ort des späteren Massakers in der Norris Hall liegt das Sportfeld.
„Ich sah Leute, die rumstanden und immer noch über das Sportfeld schauten. Das war sehr ungewöhnlich. Ich konnte spüren, dass da etwas nicht stimmte. Aber ich brachte das einfach nicht mit der E-Mail von vorhin in Zusammenhang“, so O‘Brien, der sich in einem Gebäude gegenüber der Norris Hall aufhielt.
Gegen 9.00 Uhr Ortszeit habe das Schiessen begonnen.
„Dann hörte ich einen Schuss. Ich sah Studenten aus der Norris Hall strömen, die von Polizisten angewiesen wurden, wohin sie gehen konnten“ (6).

Der „911-Call“, der Notruf in den USA, war nach Angaben der Polizei aber erst um 9.45 Uhr bei ihr eingegangen (5).
Wie konnten also schon gegen 9.00 Uhr Polizeibeamte vor Ort Studenten Anweisungen geben? Und wie konnten die Studenten raus, wenn doch die Polizei die Eingänge angeblich „blockiert“ vorfand (5)?

Erst 30 Minuten nach der ersten, durch Studenten versandten E-Mail Warnung um 9.26 Uhr, kam die Zweite, mit der Aufforderung zu bleiben wo man sei („stay put“, 9). Wieder eine Stunde später erst kam eine E-Mail, die besagte die Türen sollten geschlossen bleiben, die Unterrichtsstunden seien abgesagt, es hätte mehrere Schiessereien gegeben.
Studenten berichten ausserdem, dass das Internet auf dem Campus zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits sehr schwer zu erreichen sei (9).

Zu keinem Zeitpunkt sei es zu einem Schusswechsel zwischen „dem“ Attentäter und der Polizei gekommen, sagte VTPD Polizeichef Wendell Flinchum.
Das widerspricht eklatant Zeugenaussagen („and I think they were shooting at him too“, 6) wie der eines Studenten gestern im RTL-Nachtjournal, wo von der Erschiessung eines Menschen, offenbar des Attentäters, durch die Polizei berichtet wurde.
Auch ist auf Aufnahmen einer Handy-Kamera ausserhalb des Gebäudes eine Explosion zu hören.(6)
Die unabhängige Uni-Zeitung diamondbackonline.com berichtet von 31 Toten in der Norris Hall, die „von einer Explosion oder Schüssen“ umgekommen seien (7).

Ein Asiate wurde von der Polizei festgenommen (Foto auf 8 zu sehen). Seine angebliche Rolle ist ungeklärt, angeblich war der Attentäter Asiate und militärisch gekleidet.
Auch ein angeblicher gemeinsamer „terroristischer“ Hintergrund der Bombendrohung und des Massakers wurde ins Spiel gebracht (8).
Auch in recht seltsamen Betroffenheitsstatements von irgendwelchen Leuten in irgendwelchen Foren wurde der Begriff „domestic terrorism“(9) ins Spiel gebracht, übersetzt in etwa „häuslicher Terrorismus“.

Direkt nach so einem Massaker ist das schon recht seltsam.

(1)
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_attorney_general_s_testimony_del_04162007.html
(2)
http://www.radio-utopie.de/archiv.php?themenID=351&JAHR_AKTUELL=2007&MON_AKTUELL=3
(3)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/washington/17attorneys.html?hp
(4)
http://www.radio-utopie.de/archiv.php?themenID=390&JAHR_AKTUELL=2007&MON_AKTUELL=4
(5)
http://mainstreetnewspapers.com/articles/2007/04/16/montgomery/news/news01.txt
(6)
Anmerkung: der Inhalt unter diesem Link wurde durch die L.A.Times inzwischen geändert. Auch die Aussage von Michael O‘Brien wurde verändert. Das die entscheidende Passage zur Tatzeit einmal unter diesem Link zu finden war, beweist der oben eingefügte Screenshot.
Der gesamte Inhalt des Original-Artikels ist unter den Quellen aufgeführt.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-ex-vatechshoot17tue17,1,7757809.story?page=1&track=crosspromo&coll=la-headlines-nation
(7)
http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2007/04/17/News/In.Blacksburg.A.Dark.Day.Descends-2845930.shtml
(8)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23392898-details/A%20lovers‘%20tiff%20in%20the%20dormitory…%20then%20the%20university%20killer%20began%20his%20rampage/article.do
(9)
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3046434&page=1

Anhang:
L.A.Times vom 16.April 2007:

Gunfire on campus of Va. Tech kills at least 33
By Michael Muskal and Richard A. Serrano, Times Staff Writers
1:49 PM PDT, April 16, 2007

WASHINGTON — A gunman stormed Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., killing 32 people and injuring dozens more in the deadliest gun rampage in modern U.S. history, officials said.

The gunman was killed, officials said. It was unclear whether he killed himself or he was shot by authorities.

„Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,“ university President Charles Steger told a nationally televised news conference. „The university is shocked and indeed horrified.“

The magnitude of the horror grew throughout the day as the death toll climbed from single digits to 33, including the shooter, at two campus buildings, a dormitory and an engineering hall. The shootings took place about two hours apart at the buildings at opposite ends of the campus.

About 56 people were wounded, some critically, and 15 were taken to five hospitals. The injuries included gun wounds, but also broken bones and sprains sustained by students who jumped from windows to escape the attacker.

The number of casualties kept rising and falling, reaching 33, including the shooter by afternoon.

As authorities probed the incident, the number of questions also grew. There were unconfirmed reports the gunman could have been a student or a former student. There were also questions about the missing two hours between the shootings and why authorities didn‘t act more quickly to secure the campus.

The incident began shortly after 7:15 a.m. EDT at the 2,600-acre campus, about 250 miles southwest of Washington D.C. The gunman entered a dormitory, West Ambler Johnston, and shot several people, police said.

While authorities responded to the 911 emergency call, the gunman crossed the half-mile to the other side of the campus to the Norris building, where he shot many more, said authorities, who could not explain the apparent lull between the shootings.

Michael O‘Brien, a sophomore studying industrial engineering, said he received an e-mail about the first shooting, but since school was opened continued toward a class at Norris Hall just as the second shooting began about 9 a.m.

„I saw people standing still looking across the drill field. That was very unusual. I could tell something was wrong. But it didn‘t really register with me with the earlier e-mail.

„Then I heard a gunshot. I saw students rushing out of Norris Hall, being directed by police officers where to go.“

He said he hurried back to his dorm and from there could see Norris Hall from his window.

„I saw police cars from all different levels, state, local, county, rush by. Ambulances, SWAT vans. I could see police officers carrying what looked to be bodies out of the back of the hall and into ambulances. And you could see police officers surround the building and rush into it, like they were going to sweep the building and check for the shooter.“

„I saw a bunch of people looking over toward the Norris area,“ said student Tyler Benson. „Then there was a cop who turned around and ran at us, told us to ‚run, run, run,‘ get out of there. We all ran away from campus. And as I was running away I could hear a couple of shots going off.“

An amateur video taken by a student from a cellphone showed several officers first hesitating outside the Norris science and engineering building, then positioning themselves behind a tree, and finally rushing inside the building — all the while as repeated shots could be heard from inside.

„I was walking on campus and I saw police shooting,“ the student, Jamal Azim Albarghouti, told The Times. „I saw many police, many, many. In the few yards there were more than 20 police around there and they were trying to get in. They were the police. I assumed they knew what they were doing.“

He added: „They dropped a gas bomb, a tear gas bomb or something at the building, and I think they were shooting at him too.“

Laura Spaventa, a sophomore media student, described the horror of sitting in class hearing gunshots outside.

„We were in class and got an e-mail about the first shootings but classes kept going,“ she told The Times. „And then we got another e-mail saying to stay where we were, that there was a shooter on the loose. Then we heard five shoots.
Page 2 of 3 >

„My teacher shut the blinds and locked the door and we all got away from the windows and under the desks. And we started calling our family and friends on our cell phones to tell them we were OK.“

She said she later learned that two other students were hurt jumping out of the West Ambler Johnston building.

„I heard two people jumped out of the windows in West AJ,“ she said. „A boy broke his ankle and a girl was hurt really badly.“

Spaventa said she was also upset that campus police and school officials allowed classes to continue after the first shooting, and did not close down the school for everyone‘s protection.

„I don‘t really understand that,“ she said. „I don‘t understand their logic behind that. It does bother me. I feel like a lot of lives could have been saved and a lot fewer injuries.“

Chris Filiaggi, a sophomore agricultural student, said he was upset that they did not close the campus after reports of the first shooting.

He said he was asleep in West Ambler Johnston when the shooting happened. He received the e-mail that it was safe to be on campus, so he went to classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

„They should have“ closed the campus, he said. „They should do everything to protect us students and the faculty.“

Details about the gunman and his motives were scarce.

It was unknown what weapon the gunman used, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell R. Flinchum said at a news conference, but there were reports that the shooter was armed with two handguns.

According to Derek O‘Dell, a student interviewed by MSNBC, the gunman was in his 20s and was wearing a black leather jacket.

O‘Dell said he was inside a classroom in Norris when the gunman entered and began shooting. O‘Dell said he was wounded in the arm.

„He came into the room and started shooting,“ O‘Dell said. „He let off a full round. I was one of 10 to 15 people in our classroom to get shot. He didn‘t say anything, he just started shooting.“

O‘Dell said the gunman left and students rushed to barricade the room. But the gunman returned and shot some more.

„At first I thought it was joke,“ O‘Dell said. „But then it became very serious very quickly.“

The most deadly U.S. campus shooting until today was in 1966 at the University of Texas where Charles Whitman climbed the clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before he was gunned down by police. Thirty-one were wounded.

The most notorious high school shooting was at Columbine near Littleton, Colo., in 1999. Two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before killing themselves.

The Columbine shooting set off a range of heightened security efforts across the nation.

President Bush said he was praying for the victims and their families. He pledged federal help in the investigation. The FBI and ATF both rushed to the scene.

„Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning“ and „when that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt“ in every school, he said.
„We hold the victims in our hearts, we hold them up in our prayers, we ask a loving god to comfort those who are suffering today.“

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was in Tokyo on a trade mission, but canceled his plans to return.

„It is difficult to comprehend senseless violence on this scale,“ he said in a statement. „Our prayers are with the families and friends of these victims and members of the extended Virginia Tech community.“

Today was the second time in less than a year the campus was closed because of a shooting.

Last August, Virginia Tech was locked down on the first day of school after a manhunt for an escaped inmate who killed a hospital guard and a sheriff‘s deputy ended near the campus. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces murder charges.

Today‘s shootings also followed at least two bomb threats in recent weeks, officials said.

During the threats, the campus was shut to delivery personnel, including from a nearby pizzeria, said a manager there.

„They don‘t know if it‘s related or not,“ the employee, who asked not to be named, said of the bomb threats.