US authorities yesterday identified the man who shot dead two people at the ticket counter of Israel's El Al airlines at Los Angeles International Airport as a 41-year-old Egyptian native and began searching his apartment and office for clues to his motive.
The attack, swiftly denounced by Israel as "terrorism", renewed a debate on airport security as Americans marked the first Independence Day holiday since the Sept. 11th attacks.
Three people, including the gunman, were killed and five were injured. Israeli officials said the evidence pointed to a terrorist attack, but the FBI and police initially said it appeared to be "an isolated incident". The FBI named the attacker as Hesham Mohamed Hadayet (41), an Egyptian native and resident of the United States since 1992.
FBI and police searched Hadayet's apartment in Irvine, 80 km south of the airport and emerged from the building in the suburban neighbourhood with boxes of evidence.
Hadayet lived at the apartment with his wife and two children, who were visiting Egypt this week, neighbours said.
Hadayet, a limousine driver who also went by the last name Ali, was said to have had two drivers' licences, one of them giving his birthday as July 4th.
Hadayet went into the airport on Thursday armed with a .45-calibre handgun, a 9-mm pistol and a hunting knife and carried no identification, FBI investigators said.
Witness accounts differed, with some saying the attacker became visibly upset while talking to a ticket agent at the El Al counter while others said he walked up to the counter and opened fire from as far as 5 metres away.
Mr Arie Golan, a 54-year-old veteran of the Israeli army who was waiting in line at the time, and a security guard jumped on and subdued Hadayet, Mr Golan told the Los Angeles Times.
Witnesses told the newspaper that the attacker was shot once at close range after he had been disarmed by the two men and was being held on the floor.
Mr Haim Sapir, chief of El Al security in Los Angeles, was treated for a stab wound sustained in the fight, which ended when he shot the assailant, Israel's consul general, Mr Yuval Rotem, said.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Mr James Hahn, said yesterday that the gunman appeared to be acting alone.
"We certainly don't have information yet though to make him part of any conspiracy. It does appear to be something that only involved him," Mr Hahn said.
Asked if Hadayet was a man with a grudge, Mr Hahn said: "To the victims it really doesn't matter. It's an act of terrorism any time someone takes a gun into an airport.
"The FBI had spent Thursday saying there was no indication of a terrorist connection in the mid-morning airport shooting.
But officials held back from announcing definite conclusions.
"I am not sure whether this confirms there was a terrorist connection," said FBI spokesman Mr Matt McLaughlin, adding that the attack could be a "hate crime" under US law. "There is a possibility that this may have been a terrorist act, but we don't want to jump to conclusions," Mr McLaughlin added. The assailant was identified from information found in his car. - (Reuters)