On Tuesday evening Sulejman Talovic headed to Trolley Square Mall like many other Salt Lake City teens. But instead of a credit card and iPod, he had a shotgun and .38 caliber pistol hidden under his black trenchcoat - plus a backpack full of ammunition.
Within minutes five shoppers were dead and four injured before Talovic was held at gunpoint by off-duty police officer Ken Hammond until more officers arrived, at which point Talovic was fatally shot when he refused to surrender his weapons. Law enforcement officials say the body count could have been much higher if Officer Hammond had not been armed and on the spot to intervene.
Little is known about Talovic's background, except that he was an 18-year-old Bosnian Muslim who recently immigrated to the U.S. with his mother. Apparently he had trouble in school and was moved from one school to the next until expelled from the school system altogether. It’s mostly speculative what sort of resentments he may have harbored toward the U.S. or American citizens as a result of his religion and growing up in the midst of the Bosnian conflict. But he clearly suffered from the same kind of teenage alienation that has driven other young spree killers, perhaps exacerbated by his background and experiences.
It's possible that Talovic represents a growing trend deeply concerning law-enforcement: the “perfect storm” combination of teenage anger and alienation typified by Columbine killers - with the sense of persecution and identification with terrorists felt by some young Muslims living in Western countries. This combination is a literal recipe for the kind of sudden, minimally planned, individual terrorist action which is very hard to predict or prevent.
The anger of Muslim youth has been amply demonstrated by occurrences like riots and violence in France, and smaller-scale incidents in virtually every European nation, such as the murder of film director Theo van Gogh in Holland and the attacks on the London mass transport system in 2005. Law enforcement officials in England, France and other European countries are taking Muslim youth volatility in their countries very seriously.
This problem is obvious in European nations with relatively large numbers of Muslim immigrants, but the threat is also very real in the United States and Canada. In December, Chicago police arrested Derrick Shareef for plotting to carry out a hand grenade attack at a local mall. Fortunately, the person he approached for buying grenades turned out to be an FBI informant, and Shareef was arrested before he could do any harm.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - zingzing
yay for guns!
6 people dead by guns, no one but police and the 18-year-old gunman carrying weapons and you find a way to call for the arming of america. fucking fantastic. when this went down did you jump with glee?
2 - Justin
The Salt Lake Police have found no evidence whatsoever that Islam played a part in this killer's motive. They didn't even find a copy of the Koran in his house. But please don't let facts get in the way of some prejudiced speculation.
3 - Dave Nalle
Justin. I think it's pretty clear from my article that my concern isn't about this particular incident, but about the trend of radicalization among Muslim youth in the western world. This incident is just one of many which help to focus attention on the issue. That's why I included references with links to other incidents and the article on the CSIS study on the problem.
Dave
4 - Nancy
Interesting that in SLC it should be a muslim not a mormon or a 'gentile' doing the shooting.
5 - Jeff
I dunno, Dave. Since the overwhelming majority of violent criminals in the United States are white of Judeo-Christian faith, I think maybe this kid was just making a preemptive strike to make himself feel safer (something I am confident you can related to).
Sound stupid? You're right, but compared to your post, its friggin' genius.
6 - Brad Schader
Dave,
I think you are jumping the gun so to speak. This is the first "Lone Wolf" Muslim attack in this country. There have been numerous Aryian and/or Klan related lone wolfs. Oklahoma was the result of a lone wolf. I agree with 99% of your story, but by concentrating on the Muslim aspect over the teenage aspect you are falling into the War on Terror spin. This is like the Amish shooting more than like 9-11.
7 - Deano
I think it's pretty clear from my article that my concern isn't about this particular incident, but about the trend of radicalization among Muslim youth in the western world.
And you don't think its a bit facetious to cite this as a "terror" example without any evidence that Muslim extremism has any ties to it? Why don't you tie in Columbine, The Matrix or video games (after all he wore a trench coat)? or post-traumatic stress disorder (after all he was from Srebenica) or his disaffected youth?
There are plenty of demonstrated examples for you to draw on if you wanted to support your post on radicalization of muslim youth. Pulling out this example and citing it seems to be deliberatively exploitative rather than informed.
8 - MBD
If you want to understand most “terrorism“, look to its origins. An unrelated criminal case grabs the headlines because of what has occurred in the Middle East since WWII.
Current terrorism emanating from the Middle East can be traced back to the WWII time frame. That is where the current wave of terrorism began. Terrorism has been increasing exponentially to the point where it is now in our own backyard.
Soon after the end of World War II, there were three basic para-military Zionist organizations in Palestine, working against the Arab people, with the specific purpose of driving it out of Palestine. These were the Haganah, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Stern Gang.
Before the British Mandate, the Jewish settlers had formed a group of mounted armed watchmen called "Hashomar" and with the advent of the British Mandate, it became the Haganah (Defense). With a membership of 60,000 Zionist Jews, the Haganah had a field army of 16,000 trained men and a unit called the Palmach, which was a full-time force, numbering about 6000.
The Irgun Zvai Leumi included between 3000 and 5000 armed terrorists, and grew out of the Haganah and its Palmach branch in 1933.
In 1939, one of Irgun's commanding officers, Abraham Stern, left the parent organization and formed the Stern Gang, numbering some 200 to 300 dangerous fanatics.
Following are some of the massacres by Jewish-Zionist terrorists, notably by the Zionist Hagana, Irgun and Stern Gang groups.
1. King David Hotel, July 22, 1946.
2. Sharafat, Feb. 7, 1951.
3. Deir Yassin, April 10, 1948.
4. Falameh, April 2, 1951.
5. Naseruddine, April 14, 1948.
6. Quibya, Oct. 14, 1953.
7. Carmel, April 20, 1948.
8. Nahalin, March, 28, 1954.
9. Al-Qabu, May 1, 1948.
10. Gaza, Feb. 28, 1955.
11. Beit Kiras, May 3, 1948.
12. Khan Yunis, May 31, 1955.
13. Beitkhoury, May 5, 1948.
14. Khan Yunis Again, Aug. 31, 1955
15. Az-Zaytoun, May 6, 1948.
16. Tiberia, Dec. 11, 1955.
17. Wadi Araba, May 13, 1950.
18. As-Sabha, Nov. 2, 1955.
19. Gaza, April 5, 1956.
20. Houssan, Sept. 25, 1956.
21. Rafa, Aug. 16, 1956.
22. Qalqilyah, Oct. 10, 1956.
23. Ar-Rahwa, Sept. 12, 1956.
24. Kahr Kassem, Oct. 29, 1956.
25. Gharandal, Sept. 13, 1956.
26. Gaza Strip, Nov. 1956.
Terrorism can work but the problem is that terrorism begets more terrorism.
Like an avalanche, once terrorism gets going it can't be stopped by stepping in front of it.
9 - Justin
Your concern might not be about "this particular incident" but it's also pretty clear from your article that you're using it as a springboard to spout off on the problem of terror-prone lone-wolf Muslim youth. Why would you mention this tragedy in that context if you're not trying to suggest a link?
10 - Justin
And how did an 18-year-old kid, who is in this country as a refugee (i.e. not a citizen), manage to get a .38 caliber handgun and a 12 gauge shotgun? That doesn't sound like a legal gun sale. I'm sure you'll join me in supporting a full investigation and prosecution of any person who may have broken any of those gun laws that are already on the books, right?
11 - Martin Lav
You all are missing the point of Dave VP Nalle's article.
He is exploiting this incident to further his agenda of arming himself and his family.
Simple as that.
12 - Joe
I was gonna comment on this one but there are too many unwashed gun-hating hippies here already. I'll go elsewhere.
13 - Ruvy in Jerualem
MBD,
You're a dumbshit for bringing the Hagana, Irgun Tzva'i Leumi, and Stern Gang into this discussion - and then citing the strikes of the Tzava Hagana l'Yisrael - the Israel Defense Force - in responding to the Arab Fidayun terror attacks on Israeli citizens in their own country, and calling them terror.
The incidents you mention are not in date order. I suspect this is on purpose. Your first item, the King David Hotel in 1946, leads one to want to believe you.
But then it all gets very interesting. Almost all the events listed in 1948 are battles between the forces of the Zionists and Arab terrorists - with the sole exception of Deir Yassin, which was a massacre. I notice you managed to leave out at least two Arab massacres of Jews - one dating from 1929 in Hebron, and a second in 1948 in Gush Etzion.
Finally all of the actions taken by the Tzaha"l (the IDF) after 1948 were in response to the terror acts of the Arab Fidayun. Put bluntly, the Arabs had it coming. If they start another intifada here, they will have it coming again to them. I hope their leaders have the sense not to try that again - for the sake of the resident Arabs, who need peace, not war.
Ads for what you write, since you resort to distortion and lies in comment #8, then that gives the lie to your own credibility as one who seeks to give facts.
Any idiot can issue opinions without facts to back them up. But only a deliberate liar will distort facts to create a false argument.
14 - Zedd
Dave
Pull yourself together.
As a nonWhite, I have been observing crazy white people who attack the public since my very early youth. I know you have too. But up until recently (Melvoux and the like changing the environment), it was something that we said "its those crazy white people again". We have been exposed to Whites who are on the edge through out our entire lifes experience. From teachers to co-workers. I know if we had more AAs on these boards that would concur. I am certain that those who are reading this are smiling and nodding from recognition.
How dare you make such an issue of one European kid (white boy) who happens to be Muslim and attribute his loosing it to his faith.
There are skin heads all over the globe who are reeking havoc and again, crazy White boys who are at this moment plotting some nutty caper (shooting up a post office, or maybe a bridge). Heck in Europe, soccer games have become a dangerous experiences.
Overwhelming numbers of Muslims are attacked and made to feel horrible by Christians all of the time in Western countries. Somehow their protests are a sign of something to be feared.
Look 911 involved some guys with box cutters. As horrible as it was, it was the reaction to the box cutters that caused the shocking and sad demise. You have gone and lost your mind.
15 - Martin Lav
"Pull yourself together"
I don't think that's possible for Dave, as he believes he's hit upon a "perfect storm" to further his "gun wielding citizenry" position.
However, your "crazy white boy" syndrome seems to be a little misplaced as well. I can understand if you are a black muslim that you may be a little sensitive, however, the militancy that folks are attributing to Muslims in general is not entirely unwarranted, even if it may be in this case. While it seems that there may be a measure of truth in the inferiority complex syndrome that some muslims feel, it does not give our esteemed author license to exploit it, just so he can legally shoot dogs from his porch.
16 - Arch Conservative
"He is exploiting this incident to further his agenda of arming himself and his family."
"I don't think that's possible for Dave, as he believes he's hit upon a "perfect storm" to further his "gun wielding citizenry" position."
Martin... the second amendment to the Constitution states that citizens have the right to bear arms.
Do you have a problem with that?
There is a nother Amendment that you should heed as well Martin. The seldom mentioned 28th Amendment which states:
"DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!"
"Overwhelming numbers of Muslims are attacked and made to feel horrible by Christians all of the time in Western countries."
Oh really Zedd? if this is true I'm sure you would have no problem producing factual examples of this right?
17 - MCH
Re #1;
"when this went down did you jump with glee?"
- zingzing
Yes, probably, after his hard-on went limp.
18 - zingzing
can "jump with glee" be a new euphamism for masturbation? please?
19 - Zedd
Martin
I am christian.
inferiority complex syndrome that some muslims feel,
Its not an inferiority complex. Its called being attacked and mistreated and not liking it. Just like any human being would feel.
Sorry but the crazy white boy thing is a reality. Whites seem a little on the edge to a lot of people. They just don't know it because they dominate the conversation among the people of the world and define everyone without knowing that they too are defined. There are definately mentally ill people of all races but the across the board "on the edge thing" is pretty much locked in. Sorry to be the one to tell you. But now you know.
20 - Zedd
Martin
#11 Dead on!
21 - MBD
Ruvy, you must believe the Irgun, the Haganah, and the Stern Gang were Boy Scouts, and 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes because they didn’t want to buy Boy Scout cookies every year.
Because you say something is false doesn't make it false.
Face it, Middle East terrorism originated here:
August 20, 1937 - June 29, 1939. During this period, the Zionist terrorists carried out a series of attacks against Arab buses, resulting in the death of 24 persons and wounding 25 others.
November 6, 1944. Zionist terrorists of the Stern Gang assassinated the British Minister Resident in the Middle East, Lord Moyne, in Cairo.
July 22, 1946. Zionist terrorists blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which housed the central offices of the civilian administration of the government of Palestine, killing or injuring more than 200 persons. The Irgun officially claimed responsibility for the incident, but subsequent evidence indicated that both the Haganah and the Jewish Agency were involved.
October 1, 1946. The British Embassy in Rome was badly damaged by bomb explosions, for which Irgun claimed responsibility.
June 1947. Letters sent to British Cabinet Ministers were found to contain bombs.
September 3, 1947. A postal bomb addressed to the British War Office exploded in the post office sorting room in London, injuring 2 persons. It was attributed to Irgun or Stern Gangs.
December 11, 1947. Six Arabs were killed and 30 wounded when bombs were thrown from Jewish trucks at Arab buses in Haifa; 12 Arabs were killed and others injured in an attack by armed Zionists on an Arab coastal village near Haifa.
December 13,1947. Zionist terrorists, believed to be members of Irgun Zvai Leumi, killed 18 Arabs and wounded nearly 60 in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Lydda areas. In Jerusalem, bombs were thrown in an Arab market-place near the Damascus Gate; in Jaffa, bombs were thrown into an Arab cafe; in the Arab village of Al Abbasya, near Lydda, 12 Arabs were killed in an attack with mortars and automatic weapons.
December 19, 1947. Haganah terrorists attacked an Arab village near Safad, blowing up two houses, in the ruins of which were found the bodies of 10 Arabs, including 5 children. Haganah admitted responsibility for the attack.
December 29, 1947. Two British constables and 11 Arabs were killed and 32 Arabs injured, at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem when Irgun members threw a bomb from a taxi.
December 30,1947. A mixed force of the Zionist Palmach and the "Carmel Brigade" attacked the village of Balad al Sheikh, killing more than 60 Arabs.
1947 -- 1948. Over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were uprooted from their homes and land, and forced to live in refugee camps on Israel's borders. They have been denied the right to return to their homes. They have been refused compensation for their homes, orchards, farms and other property stolen from them by the Israeli government. After their expulsion, 385 Arab villages and towns, out of a total of 475 were demolished, most by bulldozing and generally, Israeli villages were built on the rubble.
January 1, 1948. Haganah terrorists attacked a village on the slopes of Mount Carmel; 17 Arabs were killed and 33 wounded.
January 4, 1948. Haganah terrorists wearing British Army uniforms penetrated into the center of Jaffa and blew up the Serai (the old Turkish Government House) which was used as a headquarters of the Arab National Committee, killing more than 40 persons and wounding 98 others.
January 5, 1948. The Arab-owned Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem was blown up, killing 20 persons, among them Viscount de Tapia, the Spanish Consul. Haganah admitted responsibility for this crime.
January 7, 1948. Seventeen Arabs were killed by a bomb at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, 3 of them while trying to escape. Further casualties, including the murder of a British officer near Hebron, were reported from different parts of the country.
January 16, 1948. Zionists blew up three Arab buildings. In the first, 8 children between the ages of 18 months and 12 years, died.
December 13, 1947 -- February 10, 1948. Seven incidents of bomb-tossing at innocent Arab civilians in cafes and markets, killing 138 and wounding 271 others, During this period, there were 9 attacks on Arab buses. Zionists mined passenger trains on at least 4 occasions, killing 93 persons and wounding 161 others.
February 15, 1948. Haganah terrorists attacked an Arab village near Safad, blew up several houses, killing 11 Arabs, including 4 children..
March 3, 1948. Heavy damage was done to the Arab-owned Salam building in Haifa (a 7 story block of apartments and shops) by Zionists who drove an army lorry ( truck) up to the building and escaped before the detonation of 400 Ib. of explosives; casualties numbered 11 Arabs and 3 Armenians killed and 23 injured. The Stern Gang claimed responsibility for the incident.
March 22, 1948. A housing block in Iraq Street in Haifa was blown up killing 17 and injuring 100 others. Four members of the Stern Gang drove two truck-loads of explosives into the street and abandoned the vehicles before the explosion.
March 31, 1948. The Cairo-Haifa Express was mined, for the second time in a month, by an electronically-detonated land mine near Benyamina, killing 40 persons and wounding 60 others.
April 9, 1948. A combined force of Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Stern Gang, supported by the Palmach forces, captured the Arab village of Deir Yassin and killed more than 200 unarmed civilians, including countless women and children. Older men and young women were captured and paraded in chains in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem; 20 of the hostages were then shot in the quarry of Gevaat Shaul.
April 16, 1948. Zionists attacked the former British army camp at Tel Litvinsky, killing 90 Arabs there.
April 19, 1948. Fourteen Arabs were killed in a house in Tiberias, which was blown up by Zionist terrorists.
May 3, 1948. A book bomb addressed to a British Army officer, who had been stationed in Palestine exploded, killing his brother, Rex Farran.
May11, 1948. A letter bomb addressed to Sir Evelyn Barker, former Commanding Officer in Palestine, was detected in the nick of time by his wife.
April 25, 1948 -- May 13, 1948. Wholesale looting of Jaffa was carried out following armed attacks by Irgun and Haganah terrorists. They stripped and carried away everything they could, destroying what they could not take with them.
22 - Zedd
Abraham's kids at it again! Help us all!!!
23 - Clavos
Whites seem a little on the edge to a lot of people.
I agree.
I'm white, and I live in Miami, where we have a law that allows me to shoot someone on the street if I feel threatened by them.
A lot of the whites I see on the street seem a little on the edge to me.
So I have a gun.
Never know about them crazy whites...
24 - Zedd
Dave
To follow your reasoning, we should then allow children to go to school with guns just in case another Christian white young man looses it and decides to shoot everyone up.
What school districts have done is to alert children about the affects of bullying. Perhaps some adults need to sit in on those classes.
25 - Zedd
Clavos you are not white.