Man arrested in Atlanta after five die in string of stabbings

Police seize unnamed suspect at airport in connection with 20 attacks across three American states

Associated Press in Atlanta
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 August 2010 22.54 BST

A man suspected of carrying out 20 stabbings across three American states, leaving five people dead, has been arrested in Atlanta as he tried to board a plane to Israel, officials said.

A judge in Flint, Michigan, where the attacks began in the spring, signed a warrant charging Elias Abuelazam with assault with intent to murder in connection with a stabbing on 27 July.

It was not clear if Abuelazam was the man arrested late on Wednesday at Atlanta airport while trying to board a Delta Air Lines flight to Tel Aviv.

The suspect is an Israeli citizen who is in the US legally, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

The suspect has connections with Flint and with Leesburg, Virginia, the site of three similar attacks last week, Leesburg police officer Chris Jones said. "While this is a key step in the investigation, there are still many issues that need to be addressed before we identify this individual as the person responsible for this horrific crime spree," Jones said.

Police had focused their hunt on the city of Flint – where 16 stabbings took place – until Leesburg police reported three attacks there.

Then authorities in Toledo, Ohio, said a stabbing in that city on Saturday appeared to be linked to the violent spree.

The attacks began in late May and increased in frequency as the knifeman travelled across the US.

Police have said the attacks tended to follow a pattern. The suspect approached his victim late at night on a lonely urban road and asked for directions or help with a broken-down car. Then, without warning, he pulled out a knife and struck. Afterwards he sped away in his vehicle, leaving the victim for dead.

The assailant has struck an average of once every four days since the first stabbing. Most of the victims have been black and police suspect the attacks may have been racially motivated. The youngest victim was 17, the oldest 60.

The Israeli consulate in Atlanta has been in touch with the US government to get information about the case, spokeswoman Amanda Flaks said.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/12/us-atlanta-man-arrested-stabbings