Little Rock Jihadi Trial: Jury Sees Muhammad's Videotape Confession

Update on Rusty's post from yesterday: Little Rock Jihadi Defense: Brian De Palma Made Me Do It!!

ArkansasNews

LITTLE ROCK — In two videotaped confessions shown in court today, Abdulhakim Muhammad admitted firing the shots that killed one soldier and wounded another outside a military recruiting center.

The convert to Islam says in the tapes that he did so after watching an online video about Muslims being raped and killed by U.S. soldiers in the Middle East[Brian De Palma "Redacted" reference..ed], and he defended his actions, insisting he was not a terrorist or a member of any terrorist group.

That's interesting, this note, dated 7/9, is from him denouncing his citizenship and pledging allegiance to Taliban's Mullah Omar[click to enlarge]:

Previously he has written he is "affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula"

Back to the article

“I’m a Muslim who is angry … angry at what is going on,” he said in one interview with authorities, adding that his intention was go kill soldiers and that he “had no intention of killing innocent people.”

Today was the second day of testimony in Muhammad’s trial on capital murder and other charges in Pulaski County Circuit Court. The 26-year-old could face the death penalty if convicted in the June 2009 shooting spree outside a west Little Rock recruiting center that left Army Pvt. Andrew Long of Conway dead [R]and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula [L] of Jacksonville wounded

The confessions viewed by the jury today were made just hours after the shootings. One of the confessions was to Little Rock police detectives and the other to an FBI agent.

Apparently Abdulhakim Muhammad (aka Carlos Bledsoe) is upset he wasn't given a federal trial on terrorism charges. Hence "sham" in his note. He claims the reasoning behind the trial in Little Rock is the death penalty, his father also alleges a government coverup.

Gee, I would think Carlos would be happy to fry as a martyr, who knew?

Also another interesting bit of info, when the jury was selected they were all asked "Is Islam a religion of peace"?

IPT has more on this including link to Memphis Trial's live blogging of the trial, such as this tidbit:

Deputy prosecutor John Johnson is asking Detective Hudson about Muhammad's statements to him during the interrogation. He said Muhammad lied about his plans.

According to court documents, Muhammad said he had planned various attacks. He said he previously threw a Molotov cocktail at what he believed to be a rabbi's home in Nashville, court documents show. It bounced off. He also said he targeted a recruiting center in Florence, Ky. It was closed.

Filthy, nasty, lying jihadi...

Note h/t akhi on a forum

Cross post at the Jawa Report