Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > SUV terrorist Omeed Aziz Popal may plead insanity "wanted to kill policeman but couldn't find any"
SUV terrorist Omeed Aziz Popal may plead insanity "wanted to kill policeman but couldn't find any"
August 31, 2006
MIM: If he was after a police officer it was 'targetted Jihad' - but once he got the urge apparently he just couldnt stop himself and just settled on whoever caught his eye. And since he dreamed of devils- its clear who made him do it. ( Those arranged marriages in Afghanistan to women who look better in burqas can put a bee in anyone's turban it seems.) Who doesnt get the occasional urge to start mowing people down in SUV's or Jeep Cherokees once in a while? Could have been jetlag from the trip to Afghanistan, or fear his bride would discover he suffered from ED. Will Sudden Jihad Syndrome make the Merck Manual on mental disorders together with Post Islamist Stress Disorder otherwise known as PISD?
Sudden Jihad Syndrome SJS is disorder which strikes mostly Muslim men between the ages of 14 to 40 who wake up one day with an uncontrollable urge to kill and maim as many non Muslims as possible before either being killed or getting stopped. Warning signs are growing a beard, putting on robes, going to mosque and reading the Koran. There is no known cure for SJS except to convert out of Islam to another religion.
MIM: According to press reports Popal told authorities that he had been thinking about killing someone for a day before he allegedly set off in his Honda Pilot, ran over and killed a 54-year-old man in Fremont and drove to San Francisco, where as many as 19 people were struck in about a dozen locations. Members of Popal's family have said he suffered from psychological problems recently and had been hospitalized at least twice. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/31/MNG1MKST984.DTL
Paul Sakuma / Associated Press Omeed A. Popal's mother, Zakia, left, and his father, Najib, along with San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, right, leave a San Francisco courtroom after a hearing for Omeed Popal today. More photos
Arraignment of man accused of SUV rampage postponed DA SAYS POPAL WANTED TO KILL A POLICE OFFICER By Mary Anne Ostrom Mercury News
A San Francisco Superior Court judge today postponed until next week the arraignment of Omeed Aziz Popal on 18 felony counts of attempted murder, saying she was waiting for a psychiatric evaluation report on the Fremont resident. Popal is accused of intentionally mowing down at least 14 pedestrians in San Francisco on Tuesday. He is also a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a man in Fremont earlier that day. During a brief discussion about bail, which Judge Donna Little denied, Deputy District Attorney James Thompson said that Popal's statements indicate that he would be a danger if allowed out of custody. "He said he wanted to kill a police officer but couldn't find any," Thompson said. He said that Popal's statements indicated he intended to "kill someone since the day before." Seven victims hit by the Honda Pilot Popal was allegedly driving suffered "great bodily harm, three were 70 or older and one appears to be paralyzed," the prosecutor said. In addition to the attempted murder counts, Popal faces 18 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a felony count of battery on a peace officer causing injury and a felony count of reckless evasion from police. If convicted on all charges, Popal could face life in prison. Public defender Jeff Adachi, who is representing Popal, said his client is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. "His state of mind will be a major issue in this case," Adachi said. Responding to a question of whether Popal might plead insanity, Adachi said, "All we know is that there appears to be some very serious mental problems." Among those in court today were Popal's brother, his mother, Zakia, and his father, Najib. During the proceedings, Adachi consulted with Najib Popal, who occasionally wiped tears from his eyes. Some of the people accompanying the parents as they exited the courtroom tried to shield their faces from cameras. At one point, Najib Popal put his arm around his wife, who had tears in her eyes. The family declined to comment outside the courtroom. Adachi told reporters "they are still in a state of shock. This is a man who has no history of violence. He's never been in trouble before." He said the family expresses sympathy for all the victims. "It is a horrible tragedy what occurred." Of the seven patients rushed to San Francisco General Hospital Tuesday, three had been discharged by Thursday morning, said Anson Moon, a hospital spokesman. Of the remaining four, one is in the intensive care unit. The conditions of the others "are anywhere from fair to good condition," said Eileen Shields, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Paul Sakuma / Associated Press Omeed A. Popal's mother, Zakia, left, and his father, Najib, along with San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, right, leave a San Francisco courtroom after a hearing for Omeed Popal today. More photos
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