2006 UNC SUV attack

Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar (1984?-) is a native of Iran who has confessed to intentionally hitting people with a car on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to "avenge the deaths of Muslims worldwide" and to "punish" the United States government. No one was killed in the attack, though nine were injured, but none seriously. Shortly after the attack, he turned himself in and was arrested. He currently awaits trial.

The Attack

On the afternoon of March 03, 2006, Taheri-azar drove a rented silver 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee through a common courtyard area of campus known as The Pit. The Pit is a highly trafficked area centered between the student bookstore, student center, dining hall, and libraries. It is a popular gathering spot, filled not only with students going to and from class but also with participants in various student organization-related activities.

His speed was estimated by witnesses to be anywhere from 20 to 45 MPH. He struck nine pedestrians, six of whom were taken to the hospital for treatment and released; the other three declined to be treated.

The Pit is not readily accessible to vehicular traffic; a car could only get there through a small service access. While there are normally barricades to prevent cars from approaching The Pit, they were not in place on the day of the attack.

After the Attack

After the incident, Taheri-azar drove to a nearby city street and called 9-1-1 to turn himself in to authorities. He calmly confessed to perpetrating the attack. He told the dispatcher his location and requested that he be arrested. He told the dispatcher that the reasons for his actions were outlined in a letter which he left on his bed in his Carrboro apartment. Taheri-azar then gave himself up upon the arrival of police at the scene.

Later that afternoon, officials evacuated the Carrboro apartment complex where Taheriazar lived, then stormed the unit while media helicopters circled overhead. Along with the letter described in the 911 call, officials found his UNC-Chapel Hill diploma folded in his closet, along with the Carolina blue graduation gown used just three months before.

On Monday, March 06, when he appeared in an Orange County courtroom on he stated that he would defend himself, and that he looked forward to the opportunity of sharing the law of Allah. He smiled as he left the courthouse.

Charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury, he is being held in Central Prison in Raleigh on a $5.5 million bond.

It appears that the FBI is involved in the investigation .

Background Events Possibly Connected to the Attack

Taheri-azar's actions came just weeks after the Daily Tar Heel printed a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammed in response to the widespread violent demonstrations surrounding the publication of caricatures of Muhammad that appeared in a Danish newspaper (see Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and links there). After the appearance of the cartoon in the Daily Tar Heel, several Muslim students held a peaceful "sit-in" at the paper's campus offices. Incidentally, it was initially believe that Taheri-azar's actions were in response to this cartoon. In another coincidence, recent newspaper articles had pointed to the campus' Dean E. Smith Center as a potential terrorist target.

Issues surrounding Islam previously sparked controversy on the UNC campus during the summer of 2002, when freshmen were assigned Michael Sells' Approaching the Quran as a required summer reading selection. The book selection resulted in widespread media attention, as well as lawsuits from students and others who viewed the required reading as a form of indoctrination, favoring Islam over other religions.

Public Statements

Taheri-azar has made the following public statements:

March 03, 2006:

In response to the 911 operator asking why he did it:

"To punish the government of the United States for their actions around the world." .

March 05, 2006:

To police investigators:

[I did it to] "avenge the deaths or murders of Muslims around the world."

March 06, 2006: At his arraignment, when asked if he was trying to kill people, he said yes.

The local ABC network affiliate sent a request for an interview with Taheri-azar. On Friday, March 10, he responsed with a letter addressed to news anchor Amber Rupinta. In the letter he wrote:

"Allah gives permission in the Koran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have waged war against them, with the expectation of eternal paradise in case of martyrdom and/or living one's life in obedience of all of Allah's commandments found throughout the Koran's 114 chapters..."

"The U.S. government is responsible for the deaths of and the torture of countless followers of Allah, my brothers and sisters. My attack on Americans at UNC-CH on March 3rd was in retaliation for similar attacks orchestrated by the U.S. government on my fellow followers of Allah in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and other Islamic territories. I did not act out of hatred for Americans, but out of love for Allah instead."

About the Attacker

Although Taheri-azar is originally from Iran, he grew up in the Charlotte area, where he lived with his mother and sister. He attended South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, where he was an honor student. He had a proclivity for fast and expensive cars, and the South Mecklenburg High School yearbook dubbed him the "South's Speedster." He graduated in 2001.

Although his mother had been a real estate agent, after the September 11 attacks she quit in order to do humanitarian work. It is said she teaches English in Afghanistan, though another report says that she works for the U.S. government in Afghanistan, helping to fight the war on terror.

He attended the University of North Caronlina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in psychology and philosophy. At one point he dropped out, but returned the following semester. He was graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in December 2005. Those who knew him from UNC described him as "a serious student, shy but friendly," and "kind and gentle, rather than aggressive and violent". A student who had been in the same history of philosophy class said he was "impressed" with Taheri-azar's "knowledge of classical Western thought." He was serious about his grades, and served briefly as the president of the UNC psychology club.

However, not all of those who knew him had the same opinion. Taheri-azar was, for a time, a member of the Sigma Epsilon fraternity, but he was expelled by other members, apparently for being reclusive and antisocial. A former member of the fraternity said that Taheri-azar "was from a wealthy family, a frequent marijuana smoker and "most always high" and that he drank heavily as well". Taheri-azar also has a record of arrests for speeding and other traffic violations. UNC Chancellor James Moeser described him as "totally a loner, introverted, and into himself" .

At the time of the attack, Taheri-azar had a job at a local fast food restaurant, Jimmy John's Subs.

Debate over Terrorism

In the days following the incident, a debate arose on the UNC campus as to whether or not the incident should be classified as an act of terrorism by the university and the media. While some believed that the incident was a clear act of Islamic terrorism, some saw the act as a mere delusion of granduer, while others called for understanding and tolerance. Columnist Kathleen Parker used the term "nutcase" in a widely published editorial that appeared throughout the country soon after the attack. In footage used on WTVD Channel 11, he appeared to be blowing a kiss to the camera as he was led from the Orange County Courthouse.

A protest at the scene of the attempted massacre was organized by conservative campus activists on Monday, March 6, 2006. The protest was viewed by some as polarizing, while others approached it as a chance to rally behind the victims, demonstrate the resilience of the student body, and to take back the campus as a whole. Planned speeches by rally organizers were derailed as an impromptu debate ensued. Some complained about American flags placed at the scene in honor of the victims, suggesting that the display of the American flag was somehow "divisive," even "offensive." While UNC Chancellor James Moeser described Taheri-azar's attack as one of violence in an internal e-mail to the University community, he stopped short of calling it a full-fledged act of terror. An event scheduled for March 20, 2006 was intended to serve as a remembrance of the event and to allow students to reclaim The Pit.

Three terrorism experts have called Taheri-azar a terrorist, saying that he fits the profile for an unaffiliated, lone-wolf type of terrorist. This is in spite of his failure to fit the common stereotype of terrorists as being poor and uneducated; in fact, his family is well-to-do, and he has a degree from a prestigious university.

The "Tar Heel Terrorist"

Taheri-azar has been dubbed the "Tar Heel Terrorist." Apparently, journalist Michelle Malkin coined the nickname on her blog. Tar Heel is the mascot of UNC Chapel Hill, which is both the location of the attack and the alma mater of the attacker.

External Links

• "FBI Joins Investigation Of UNC Hit-And-Run; Man Charged With Incident May Have Had Political Motive". 2006-03-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
  
• Tar Heel Terrorist: It's in the Koran
• WRAL news report
• MSNBC report
• Response to Interview request03/14/06
• Sudden jihad syndrome? by Daniel Pipes, published in the New York Sun 3/14/2006.