E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
As federal and local police agencies work to piece together a case against Elias Abuelazam in the 18 stabbing attacks — five of them fatal — that frightened residents across three states, a picture of the 6-foot-4 Israeli citizen known to acquaintances as "Big Boy" is beginning to surface.
Abuelazam, 33, waived his right to fight extradition Friday in an Atlanta court and is scheduled to be returned to Michigan, where he is charged with assault with intent to murder in one of the 18 attacks, most of which occurred in Michigan and targeted black victims.
Abuelazam grew up in a well-to-do Christian Arab family in the city of Ramle, Israel, where former neighbors and acquaintances described him as a shy, quiet geek who fell in with the wrong crowd. They said he eventually fell prey to drugs and "criminal elements," which led his single mother — his father is reported to have died when Elias was very young — to send him to the United States, where many relatives now live. He arrived sometime around 1995.
(In a visit back to Israel a few months ago, Abuelazam seems to have fallen into his old ways. Police confirmed acquaintances' reports that Abuelazam stabbed a friend with a screwdriver during a fight in Beit She'an. Investigators did not pursue a case because the victim chose not to press charges, police said.)
Neighbors said Abuelazam intended to study to be a pharmacist, but they did not know whether he actually completed his studies. It is known that he moved around the country, eventually settling in Leesburg, Va., a suburb of Washington. An apartment in Bradenton, Fla., where he has relatives, is listed as his formal address in court documents.
In July 2004, Abuelazam married Jessica Nimitz, a Texas teenager. They divorced in 2007; Nimitz has declined to comment on her ex-husband's arrest, saying she was still trying to absorb the news.
North Spring Behavioral Healthcare confirmed in a statement that Abuelazam worked at its residential treatment facility in Leesburg for young offenders, saying his employment ended in 2008.
In May, family connections led Abuelazam back to the Flint, Mich., area, one of the places he is known to have briefly lived in earlier. The Detroit Free Press reported that he lived in a house on Maryland Avenue in east Flint next door to relatives. Neighbors declined to comment.
That's the same month the string of stabbings began.
Acquaintances in Flint and Leesburg alike described Abuelazam as a large who was quiet and seemed self-controlled — unless something set off his temper.
Neighborhood kids in Leesburg told The Loudoun Times that Abuelazam was "respectful" and "nice" and would buy them ice cream, candy and sodas. He liked to hang around the neighborhood and chat with people on the street.
One of those neighbors was Jammie Lane, 44, who was found dead in his home on March 26, 2009. Police have not officially connected Abuelazam to Lane's death but say they are taking a closer look at the case since Abuelazam's arrest.
"We were all just neighbors," said Steve McCabe, 30, who lived nearby. "There were times when we — me, Jammie and him — we would stand out here and just talk. We would sit out and talk and laugh."
Echoing many people in Leesburg and Flint, McCabe told the Loudoun Times that Abuelazam "was really quiet and real nice. You wouldn't even know he was there."
Until he got angry.
Leesburg neighbors said there were times when, for no apparent reason, Abuelazam would fly into a rage with a "crazy look." On those occasions, they would be physically afraid of their 6-foot-4, 230-pound neighbor.
Neighbors related how Abuelazam would harshly kick his dogs when he thought they had misbehaved. Once, he accused Chris Theriot, 16, of trying to steal his pit bull terrier.
"When he was mad, he just had this rage in his face. It was a crazy look, like, 'Hey, if you don't get out of my way, there's going to be a problem,'" Chris told the Loudoun paper. "I was severely afraid of him. Physically afraid."
At the King Water Market in Flint, where Abuelazam worked for about a month before leaving Aug. 2, customers told The Flint Journal that the clerk they knew as Eli joked with the regulars and doggedly flirted with young ladies.
"He was a little standoffish, but he seemed OK," Steve Cornell, manager of the Family Dollar store next door, told the Journal.
Monica Butler, a customer, said Abuelazam was "flirty" — "he would always try to pick them up or get a number."
Abdulla Farah, his manager at the King Water Market, and others said Abuelazam was always friendly and respectful with African-American customers, complicating any easy conclusion that he may have specifically targeted black victims. Leesburg police said they assumed the attacker had a racial motive, but the Flint prosecutor has said there was no evidence to support that supposition.
All in all, Farah said, Abuelazam seemed to be "a good guy."
"All of my employees would not talk nothing about this guy. ... I never got no indication that [any] of my employees got any suspicions of this guy," Farah said.
At the same time, the "quiet" and "calm" Abuelazam was involved in numerous brushes with the law, with citations and minor arrests recorded in multiple locations.
Just last month, he was questioned by police twice on the same day — first in an incident in which he was charged with providing alcohol to a minor and later that day in a traffic stop — marking the second and third times police are known to have investigated him since the stabbings began. He was also arrested last week during a traffic stop and later released in Northern Virginia, a few hours before one of the stabbing victims was attacked.
Now it's up to the authorities — and eventually, perhaps, a jury — to sort through the contradictions.
"I do not believe these charges are true," Abuelazam's mother, Iyam al-Azzam, told Israel Radio. "Elias, my son, is a religious, God-fearing man who always assists anyone who needs help."
But a former classmate painted a very different portrait for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.
"In recent years he experienced something that changed him entirely," the classmate said, adding that he would picks fights with "anyone who looked him in the eye."
When Abuelazam got angry, this acquaintance said, it would take three people to restrain him.
Leave a Comment:
Arabs in general seem to have serious anger management issues
This man is obviously a very troubled individual and while I'm glad he's off the streets,it's a shame no one got him the help he so obviously needed before his psychosis turned deadly!!
I agree Bri they really do. i know about 3-4 arabs that are like that. and have heard the same from a few other people also. Revelwoodie is a Fuc**ng idiot if he doesn''t notice that.
I found this story interesting, but I would like to get a little off topic, interent stories have the worst editing if any at all:
"Acquaintances in Flint and Leesburg alike described Abuelazam as a large who was quiet and seemed self-controlled"
Described him as a "large?" Maybe I am being too analytical about this but the internet is how the majority of us get our news. The newspaper is a dying system but just because a journalist can post something instantly it doesn't mean they should. It just seems like sloppy, unprofessional work. This isn't the only occassion, and in some instances it is completely incorrect information.
Anyway, sorry for rant.
He's not Israeli!!! He's Arab ... Please Do not confused.
Thanks
You mean he's not Jewish, Liraz. He's absolutely Israeli.... as are many Arabs. You'd do well to remember that fact.
what does race have to do with anger???
I notice he worked at North Springs Behavioral Healthcare, which I would guess is a psych ward of some sort. You would think they would screen new hires at a place like that to make sure they were safe to have around people.
Actually, you are wrong. He is Israeli. The article clearly states that he is. Not that it matters either way, but people should really learn to read better if they expect anyone to take them seriously.
Bri-1732738
What an utterly ridiculous and bigoted statement this is! You might just as well say 'men in general have serious anger issues'! There is little doubt this man has some very deep psychological problems, I've never heard of a serial killer that didn't, but to allude his race is at fault is simply unbelievably stupid.. You should be ashamed!
I come from a Palestinian Christian family and the only one I can think of having a bad temper is my father. The rest of my family (cousins, aunts, uncles, my wimpy brother, etc) are all mild mannered.
Includig my acquaintances in the Palestinian Christian community.
On another subject, I find interesting how many people say Mr. Abu El Azam is a jew. He looks the part, doesn't he?
You could use his picture in a dicitionary under the definition of an Israeli Jew. That goes to show how intertwined our genes are, and how ridiculous it is for many Israeli Jews to claim the whole of historical Palestine for themselves.
@ Bri-1732738: You're an idiot.
revelwoodie - you're in denial
revelwoodie, do you even KNOW any Arabs before you start calling Bri an idiot? Of course not.
Lloyd - do you even KNOW that revelwoodie diesn't know any Arabs? Of course not.
I think perhaps revelwoodie may have some anger management issues as well. Per conjecture, of course.
Lloyd S, do you even KNOW if Bri knows any Arabs before he starts saying they have anger management issues? Of course not.
DQ, do you even know Revelwoodie before you accuse him of being in denial? Of course not. Does Revelwoodie even know any idiots before accusing Bri of being one? Of course not. I know a lot of idiots, and most of them would be furious at being confused with Bri. Though of course, being idiots, they wouldn't know why.
Let's suspend the whole discussion until everyone in the world knows everyone else.
Or we could wait until everyone learns to argue rationally and weigh evidence instead of typing "You don't know me, You don't know me" like we're in an old school Jerry Springer episode.
Are people posting on the internet any more likely to learn to argue rationally than everyone in the world is likely to meet everyone else? Of course not .
Another crazy Arab killing Americans. Isn't Michigan one of the bastions of Islam in the U.S. ?
The guy's not muslim.
Eejit!
point taken. Excuse me.
Well shoot, I'm American and sometimes I fell like doing the same to all the idiots here. lol!
He hasn't been tired in a court. Easy to blame these people for everything that goes wrong, but reflect on the McMartin Preschool trail when some nut lady and the police (idiots) arrested and accused these people of something they didn't do.
A black man on the news a couple of days back said it was a white man that had attacked him. They may have the wrong man, but others have also said there is another person with him sitting in the car, but no real description of the car. Even though hos neighbors report on him kicking his dogs, that does not make him a killer, just an animal abuser. Too bad the nosey neighbors never reported him to the animal Control for animal abuse. For me they are just as guilt of the animal abuse for not reporting what that had witnessed.
Innocent until proven guilty. That's the way it's suppose to be in America.
How many of you out there immediately thought he was Jewish just because he came from Israel? Huh? Of course he was Arab. Big f**king surprise there.
How many of you out there immediately thought he was Muslim just because he was Arab? Huh? Of course he was Christian. Big f**king surprise there.
I don't know what the term "Christian" means as it relates to Elias Abuelazam. I can't believe he has received Jesus as his Savior and is born-again, which is how I define a Christian. A lot of Arabs are Christians, but I don't think Elias Abuelazam is in that category.
HE'S A CHRISTIAN ISRAELI! CAN'T YOU READ?
excuse me for shouting.
Did many of you miss that he was raised in a Christian home? Who knows if he's changed religions. Regardless, blaming his race, religion, whatever is foolish. The man obviously has serious problems dealing with his anger. Whether or not he is guilty of the attacks is up to the courts and jury to decide.
I think Annette's point is that Abuelazam is as BAD Christian--as in, someone who might have been raised in a a Christian household, but didn't follow the teachings of Christ.
Serial killers don't generally follow the tenets of their religion. Even if it turned out that Abuelazam rationalized his killings with religion (and there's no evidence so far that he did), he would be distorting the Bible because he's a SERIAL KILLER--you know, the way terrorists twist the Koran because they're terrorists, and the psycho that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart twisted the Book of Mormon because he's a psycho? If they didn't have a sacred text lying around, these nut jobs would find justifications for what they wanted to do in a a "coded message" from a Beattles album or a particularly meaningful look from the neighbor's dog.
And more to the point, while religion can push individuals or groups contemplating violence over the edge, it doesn't seem to be any more relevant here than with any other killer.
Right, of course he's not a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_scotsman"> True Christian. </a>
He's not Muslim...he's an Israeli Jew. Stop blaming Muslims for everything
He is NOT a Jew he is a Christian. Learn to read before you turn your bigotry to others.
He's a Christian Arab. (No, not all Arabs are Muslims.)
he's a psychopath. Religion's just a shield he's hiding behind. The fact that it even has a part to play in the discussions of this a--hole's character is an insult to ALL religion.
A christian, An arab, an Israeli. No political affiliation, no terrorist, not a Jew, no racial anmosity. Nothing to talk about.
There are other issues involved than ethnic hatred or terrorism. Not every killer is either a racist or a terorist.
There is something to talk about. He attacked 18 people. Perhaps we should be discussing mental health issues because they don't discriminate against any group of people, nor does evil.
A majority of Arabs, both Muslim and non-Muslim, showed themselves racist bigots, by trying to destroy Israel and by killing and discriminating all non-Arab minorities in the Arab countries.
Ivan,
A majority of people (regardless of ethnicity or religion) show themselves to be racists, just like you do. How is it possibly different when others make blanket statements about the groups you identify with?
I would suggest doing an EEG on the man because the extreme violence sounds seizure related. That does not get him off the hook for killing but it would give both prosecution and defense a good starting point. The fact that he loses control suggests something seriously wrong in important parts of his brain. If he didn't turn himself in after the first stabbing, he is culpable for every subsequent crime.
Most sensible comment yet.
Here, here! A very wise comment. Thank you.
The media just cannot blame religion for everything.
Maybe his mom didn't breast feed him long enough? Or maybe she breast feed him too long? No matter who he killed or was, if guilty he should be put down like the rabid dogs he abused.
I don't think Karen's saying that this guy should go free; She's just saying that he might have organic brain abnormalities that caused his bursts of rage. She admits (and I agree) that he still ought to be punished for neither seeking help as he began to lose control nor turning himself in once he lost it.
It's also possible he had some kind of dissociative disorder as a result of abuse--and he's still eligible for either life in prison or death row, since he didn't seek help or turn himself in.
My mistake. He's Christian...not a Jew
I am quite surprised that he is a Christian Arab as they are normally on the whole very nice people.
Something must have happened to bring out this hatred!!
He is a Christian Arab. It is quite possible that he is simply a nut job and his religious affiliation and ethnicity are not a factor. This would be true if he were a Muslim or Jewish Arab or member of any other ethnic group. If you have to sterotype this guy, it's as a serial killer.
Can't the police do anything right? Killers slip through their hands? Not all cops are inept but there are still enough to make it easy to commit a crime, be in this country illegally and not get put away.
He wasnt in the country illegally.... however I do agree that a lot of repeat offenders are violent illegals.
Bri - This is obviously a very troubled man, but his issues are hardly reason to make wild accusations about his entire race. Just because Bundy, Dahmer, Manson, & Kaczynski were psychopaths doesn't mean all white men are that way, and just because this guy has anger management issues doesn't mean that all Arabs do.
Your comment was inappropriate, and offensive.
Sounds like a law firm, there motto must be we slaughter the competition and eat them too!
The guy is no better or worse then this four guys, Bundy, Dahmer, Manson &
Kaszynski. When a person snaps it does not matter what race, religion or anything else! God Bless the Victims and their families.
GD-1215984, you've only named a few. You should have ended with etc.
not to put any race down, but profiling is how we catch criminals. criminal profiles are a necessity. age, race, and gender are necessary in finding out what type of people would commit certain types of crimes. you think it's just a coincidence that the majority of serial killers just happen to be caucasian? can't be.
Most caucasians are serial killers?
Learn to read, midterm2010! Most SERIAL KILLERS are CAUCASIAN. not the other way around.
hello-i have often thought about many murders that are not reported!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/the socioety today is without spiritual foundation,once i fell to damaged legs @age 50 from too much work-sports-i began really seeing the unfortunate,the misfits,the ones that needed help,the wheel-chairs,the street people-enormous numbers out of sinq-so i began supporting the one in dev globaly that had the conviction,but not the experience-i ended up with 50%of $200,000,000[200mmusd[dev]-because i provided a safety net!!!!!!!!!/the unfortunate are the usa military in iraq,afghanistan,south korea,guam,germany-at usa taxpayers expence-this young man did not step forward and seek help/jdenishuggard@hotmail.com
http://www.timecube.com/
Good Lord the signs were there for years and no one did anything to stop him. Typical. "oh, NIMBY..." please.
He's NOT a Christian Arab - he's a psychopath who should have been stopped long ago, hiding behind religion. Give me a break.
Thanks, family and friends, for all turning the other cheek.
I don't care if he is a Christian or a Muslim or from Israel. He is a criminal - pure and simple.
I agree with revelwoodie. And Hello DQ-881282- he is from a Christian family as I am. I would venture a guess, repeat guess, that he has bi-polar issues enough to charm some, and react violently when triggered. It is still not an excuse for what he did. If we had a system that encouraged people to seek help and medication, instead of stigmitizing their image, possibly less of these events might happen. And maybe in less severe diagnosis, even less domestic violence might occur. Just to be clear, that would apply to all races and both sexes.
Well said. As an atheist, I consider religion the root of all evil. Regardless, we should really feel compassion for this guy and probably get him some counseling.
He needs to be punished for his crimes if convicted, possibly with counseling, but punished. My suggestion of help was to achieve prevention of these acts by others in the future. Our understanding of the "Why" is not an excuse, nor should the lessons learned from that understanding be ignored, or stigmatized.
Also, I consider Atheism a religion, ie practice with loose dogma. Religion in my opinion does not equal spirituality. I assume you don't believe in God, or spirituality DQ-881282? Or is it the dogma?
I am bi-polar and, in 25 diagnosed years, have never considered, or acted to physically hurt another...or kick my pets. As I read the article, the man fell in with the 'wrong crowd' and did drugs growing up. That indicates he got into the habit of making bad choices and the news is full of stories about where that leads. People of any religion or race can choose evil and the more evil choices you make, the easier it gets to make worse and worse choices.
I am also bi-polar, and yes, not all cases involve violent tendencies, but it is proven some do. Bad choices can produce more bad choices, but it seems it was reactions, not choices, that was the catalyst of most of his acts. His "evil" perspective allowed him to accept his acts were ok'. Granted though, it seems the timing of some of his attacks were preceeded by triggers with authority (traffic stops) and come off premeditated. Regardless, if guilty, he needs to be punished. The mind and spirit are fascinating! Good discussion!
Hope,
I, too, noticed some of the attacks were preceeded by brushes with authority, which would negate the theory of 'reacting'. My point is that consistently poor choices, choices of thoughts and actions, over time, can result in 'reactions'. I imagine you know enough about MI to know that neural pathways can, over time, be overridden and re-directed by thoughts and, thoughts can be chosen. As the saying goes: Watch your thoughts, they become your words and actions and, they, in turn, become your destiny. This guy has created his.
During your 25 years of bi-polar I would assume you have been taking meds and getting counciling, as I have, which allows the new neural pathways to develope. He did not have that benefit.
Not "all" of his violent acts were preceeded by confrontations with authority and it negates nothing. He "reacted" in many of the witnessed acts of violence that were reported. And yes, regardless, he is still responsible, if guilty, and should be punished. I'm sorry if I offended you, but the experiences and diagnosis of your bi-polor condition, as well as mine, does not represent the whole.
Also, Karen-270219, did anyone mention seizures in his life?
Whether they muslim or christian, the vast majority of middle eastern people (men & women) have an attitude problem and an air of superiority towards others. And for those who will call me racist or claim I don't know what I'm talking about - I do know what I'm talking about since I belong to a middle eastern minority.
Whether they muslim or christian, the vast majority of white people (men & women) have an attitude problem and an air of superiority towards others. And for those who will call me racist or claim I don't know what I'm talking about - I do know what I'm talking about since I am white.
...See, that doesn't work either. Do you claim to know the vast majority of middle eastern people? Really?
I thought someone would challenge what I've written. I assure you most middle eastern people have a macho attitude towards non middle estern people and think they're superior to others . I hear it every day in their references and comments. Notwithstanding what I've written I happen to agree with you that most white people feel they're superior to other races. So I guess we're in tandem agreement.
That is what starts wars and civil unrest within multi racial countries. We are all equal to each other and somewhere down the line we all have to learn this and respect others not matter their race, color, religion, education level etc. etc. We all need to understand that not everyone is the same and take them as they are. Unfortunately the human race as a whole have some bigotry in there heart. If were all the same some people would still find fault with others to make them feel Superior. Someday this will pass at least to the point that we can look at each other and not want what they have, or want to kill them because they are not like them.
I'm a Christian Arab-American and the racist, bigoted comments on here are extremely painful to read. Most people assume I'm muslim and visibly relax when they find out I'm not. Others call me a "Jew" as though that is something awful because I look arabic. There is no hope for anyone if we still define others by their racial and religious affiliations. Anyone who loves God/Allah/Whatever and who cares about their fellow human beings would never hurt anyone in anyway.
Thanks to all those who want to stop the racial and religious hatred by judging these vile stabbings for what they are: the acts of an extremely disturbed individual who needs to be put away!
Add your thoughts if you want racial and religious bigotry to end!
That very request has been in my prayers since 9/11 we are all the children of God and hopefully some day we will see this and stop trying to kill each other and learn to respect one another. Religion is good and when someone goes out to "spread the word" all they need is there Bible/Quron etc. and a lot of love in there hearts not a AK47 , MP5 or any other weapon . Killing anyone for their religion or even lack there of is wrong. God does not want any of his children killed in any manner especially in "His name".
I too am Christian-Arab-American. I find it interesting viewing the comments on here, most immediately attempt to categorize this guy (i.e., want to now whether he is Christian, Jew, Muslim, Arab, whatever) to make their binary far-reaching judgment. . .a characteristic of either low IQ or the uneducated.
Honestly it doesn't matter what race or religion he is, because every race and religion have people like him.
Oh this is going to turn ugly.
This is mental illness. We've got to learn to discuss something else besides people's ethnic or religious backgrounds. If he were Muslim it would not prove Muslims are bad. If he were Jewish, it would not prove Jewish people were bad. He's Christian, and that doesn't prove Christian people are bad.
It's 2010 for crying out loud -- we can do better than trying to relate every news story to someone's race or religion.
Amen, Orlando -
Decades and centuries and countless number of lives have been lost trying to equalize religion, race, ethnicity, etc. and to come back around to what, blaming this a**hole's religious background?
How many steps forward have we come? Sure feels like we've lost more than we've gained.
I'm with y'all mle and Robert. The bigotry on these boards is really painful for all...or at least it should be. It's nice when a few people get together to say "enough!"
It would be nice to travel to the Middle East and see the wonderful cultures there but until all this hatred stops I will stay here in the good ol' US of A.
"Racial bigotry"----------save your breath-----it will NEVER end!!
It has become obvious to many Muslims that there is something seriously wrong with Islam. But what is that? What is wrong with Islam? Was Muhammad merely a sick human being and a liar? Is Islam the corrupted product of many different hands?
These questions are well worth asking as there is so much at stake. Those good honorable people, who adhere to Islam, must ask themselves whether Islam is in fact a religion come from God as Muhammad proclaimed. Many Muslims—now aware of Muhammad’s questionable behavior and actions (murder, assassination, thievery, pedophilia etc.)—should be wondering whether they should continue blindly following this sick man, and his hateful and violent religion.
Unfortunately, the fear that Muhammad’s Islam implants in the mind of Muslims has rendered them incapable of thinking rationally about the religion. This is changing though, as more and more Muslims become exposed to the grotesque truth about Muhammad and Islam. Upon learning the truth about Islam, honest people of integrity begin the profoundly liberating process of apostasizing from Islam. It can definitively be stated that no decent person of sane mind, knowing the real facts about Islam, could remain in the religion with a clear conscience. We, the informed apostates of Islam, know for certain that Muhammad’s Islam is, in reality, the exact opposite of what it claims to be.
Most Muslims genuinely do not know how evil the Islamic ideology really is. It is an indisputable fact that Islam institutionalizes discrimination against women and non-Muslims, effectively puts an end to freedom of speech and conscience, and ensures perpetual warfare amongst mankind. Islam is not a religion of peace. Islam is not a flawless faith received from a god. Muhammad was not the perfect man. This “religion” is so perverse in fact that it demands that those, who leave it, be killed:
And you base your statements on what, any good references?
This guy is just bad. Every race and every religion has them. Them = "bad people"
This is why we have the electric chair, if proven guilty of course.
Don't forget those that have no religion, they kill too.
Let's see don't we have enough homegrown racists without importing more? He's from Israel and "fell in with a bad crowd" and was sent to America? This goes to immigration lapses where he should have been denied a visa to visit let alone stay and seek employment. For someone who appeared to have a problem with African Americans he chose to live a state where the African American population is largest. He should have chosen Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming, where not only is the African American population miniscule, but where he would have been the target of racism.