2010 Austin suicide attack
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| 2010 Austin plane crash | |
|---|---|
 Similar airplane involved in the crash | |
| Location | 9420 Research Boulevard Austin, Texas, United States |
| Date | February 18, 2010 |
| Target | Internal Revenue Service building in Austin, Texas |
Attack type | Suicide attack |
| Weapons | Fixed wing aircraft |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Joseph Andrew Stack |
On February 18, 2010, a man flying a Piper Cherokee PA-28 plane intentionally crashed it into Building I of the Echelon office complex[1] in Austin, Texas, United States. Regional Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices are located in the building.[2] The pilot of the small plane was named Joseph Andrew Stack. He posted a manifesto dated February 18, 2010, to his business website.
Crash
The plane departed a nearby airport at 9:40 AM Central Standard Time, and about twenty minutes later, crashed into a building containing offices for the IRS, setting it ablaze. It went in at full speed and did not appear to be accidental or due to mechanical failure according to eyewitnesses.[2][3]
Aftermath
Two people were reported injured and a third was reported missing. The status of the perpetrator is unknown.[2]
Perpetrator
The plane was piloted by Joseph Andrew Stack, of the Scofield Ridge neighborhood in North Austin, who worked as an embedded software consultant.[4] Prior to the crash, he set his house on fire in the 1800 block of Dapplegrey Lane with his wife and stepdaughter still inside,[5] and posted an anti-government, anti-bailout, anti-corporation, anti-union, and anti-religion manifesto on his website, embeddedart.com.[4][6][7][8] In the manifesto, he states that he was not impressed with political representatives with whom he describes as "thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags", also criticizing the conglomerate companies of General Motors, Enron, Arthur Anderson, as well as the current health care debate.[9] The manifesto ended with:[9]
I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, lets try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
Response
In response to the crash, the Department of Homeland Security became involved in the investigation of the crash, stating that it did not appear to be linked to terrorism.[2] White House spokesman Robert Gibbs reaffirmed what Homeland Security said, and that President Barack Obama was being briefed of the incident.[10] The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) launched two F-16 fighter aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas to conduct an air patrol in response to the crash, which was reported as standard operating procedure in this situation.[6]
References
- ^ Cronan, Carl (2010-02-18). "Echelon Building Destroyed in Plane Crash". GlobeSt.com. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ a b c d "Latest updates: Plane crashes into building in Austin, Texas". CNN. February 18, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
- ^ http://media-newswire.com/release_1112649.html
- ^ a b Grisales, Claudia (February 18, 2010). "Burned house, plane crash linked to same person". www.statesman.com. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help) - ^ Delony, Doug (February 18, 2010). "Austin Plane Crash, House Fire Could Be Connected". www.myfoxhouston.com. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Man crashes plane into Texas building". AFP. February 18, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Joe Stack STATEMENT: Alleged Suicide Note From Austin Pilot Posted Online". Huffington Post. February 18, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Weisenthal, Joe (February 18, 2010). "The Insane Manifesto Of Austin Texas Crash Pilot Joseph Andrew Stack". The Business Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "EmbeddedArt.com Whois Record". www.whois.sc. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help) - ^ "Texas plane crash may have been intentional-report". AlertNet. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
External links
- embeddedart.com [dead link] (archive) – possible suicide note and manifesto of Joseph Andrew Stack