Monday, February 27, 2006
WASHINGTON SEIZED
More than 120 people have been taken hostage in Washington D.C. by an orthodox Muslim group protesting about the depiction of Mohammad in US media. Three buildings are occupied by the kidnappers.
UPDATE. One hostage has reportedly been shot dead.
UPDATE II. Several others are reported wounded—one paralyzed by shotgun blast.
UPDATE III. A D.C. councillor among the hostages may also have been shot.
(Actually, all of the above took place in 1977, when twelve Hanafi Muslims stormed Washington’s District Building, the offices of B’nai B’rith, and the Islamic Center. Dozens were injured, then-councillor Marion Barry was shot, legal intern Bob Pierce was crippled, and radio reporter Maurice Williams was murdered. Among the terrorists’ demands: that the film Mohammad, Messenger of God not be shown in US cinemas. It’s curious, given recent Mohammad-related cartoon issues, that this event hasn’t been recalled more widely.)