A man was arrested in the Atlanta airport who’s believed to have killed five but stabbed 20. He was attempting to board a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. As an Israeli citizen, Elias Abuelazam came to the U.S. legally. Of the 20 incidents, 16 took place in Michigan, 3 occurred in Virginia and one in Ohio. There is a belief that race was part of these crimes considering most of those victimized were African American.
May is when the attacks start
May was when reports of a man coming up and asking for help with a vehicle or getting directions began coming in, and the man fit Elias Abuelazam’s description. The man would pull a knife, stab the victims and leave them for dead. ABC reports that police thought Elias Abuelazam was the stabber considering he was arrested for simple assault lately. To identify the killer, law officials from Michigan, Virginia and Ohio all started working together with the public to get an ID.
Race believed to be a motive
Most of the victims were African American males, and the crimes are believed to be racially motivated. Since 16 of these victims were stabbed in Flint, Michigan, that is where the police did most of their research. One stabbing occurred in Toledo, Ohio when the event occurred 3 times in Leesburg, Virginia. A judge in Flint issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with a stabbing on July 27. A tip was given to Michigan police where they found him boarding a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel at the Atlanta International Airport. Police took him into custody after a page was issued through the intercom.
Nevertheless no conviction
There is enough evidence to believe he is the perpetrator, but at this point he remains only a suspect. He is being convicted where the five deaths happened, which is Michigan, and won’t be given the death penalty since Michigan isn’t a death penalty state.
Additional reading
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/US/TheLaw/serial-stabber-suspect-identified-elias-abuelazam-federal-officals/story?id=11382102 and amp;page=1
