Break in Murder of Coptic Family in New Jersey?

UPDATE: A second arrest has been made. Newsday:

Two people have been arrested in the murder of an Egyptian Christian family, authorities said Friday.

The suspects were to be arraigned Friday afternoon in state Superior Court. The Hudson County prosecutor's office would not release the identities of those arrested or the charges they face until they appear in court.

Via Opinion Bug we learn that there may be a break in the brutal murder of the family of Hossam Armanious, a Coptic Christian who many suspect was killed by online jihadis. 7 Online:

According to two sources very close to the investigation, the FBI has picked up a suspect they believe my have some ties to the murders of a Coptic Christian family in Jersey City.

The man in custody is a former tenant of the family's home and evidence was still being removed from the home as we arrived on the scene this afternoon.

According to our source the possible suspect was picked up this morning on Charles Street and is now being interrogated by the FBI at a location in Jersey City. Our source tells us that the man in custody is providing detailed information in the case although he claims he is not responsible for the murders....

But now the motive appears to be robbery. A big break came when authorities discovered that Armonious' ATM card had been used at several locations after the murder, and authorities got a picture of the suspect and his automobile.

The NY Post names the suspect:

Detectives picked up the man, identified by a relative as Edward McDonald, 25, after reviewing surveillance videos from ATMS in Jersey City and Manhattan, WABC-TV and WNBC-TV reported.

The ex-con was providing detailed information about the case but claimed a second man was responsible for the horrific slaying of the devout Coptic Christian family, WABC said.

We hope and pray that this case is solved soon. In fact, we hope and pray that the murder of Hossam Armanious, his wife, and his two daughters, age 16 and 8, were not religously motivated. We would like to think that Islamic jihadis stalking people via the internet is not a real threat.

However much I would like to think that, a number of reports indicate that the FBI and local police would like to think the same thing. In fact, various reports in the past have indicated that local police were ignoring the hate-crime angle altogether. Are the police ignoring the facts? For instance, today Front Page reports this from the Hudson County Prosecutor:

DeFazio is certain about one thing. All talk of religious extremism is off limits. "This case has nothing to do with religious extremism," he said. "And if you keep asking these questions, I won't continue with the interview."

Friend of The Jawa Report, Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch also notes:

terrorism and plunder often go together under Islamic law. "It isn't necessarily an either or proposition," Spencer says. "It is lawful under Islam to kill and seize the property of those who war against Islam."

Spencer says he obtained information, from sources close to the murders, that the Halal butcher had planned the killings for months and that several of his accomplices are still in the country. Spencer says police are investigating. But when DeFazio was asked about the information his office was provided, he said: "None of that was given any credence by any law enforcement agencies. Our office has not received any names." But Spencer gave the Hudson County Prosecutor's office very detailed information (names, locations and phone numbers) of the alleged murderers and their accomplices. When reminded of this, DeFazio then said that he did receive this information, but he appeared uncertain if all those named were questioned before this avenue of investigation was closed.

We are cautiously optimistic that the Hudson County prosecutor has the right man. Again, we will sleep better tonight knowing that online jihadis are only fantasizing about killing those that oppose them rather than actually following through with their murderous plans.

However, eventually fantasies become real. As the fantasies of domestic-terror groups inspired by an ideology of white-supremacy eventually becomes a reality, so too the ideology of jihadis will eventually lead them to commit acts of terror on our own soil.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:44 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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