UPDATE VIA MY FOX 2
FOX 2 has confirmed the name of the man arrested at an Atlanta airport in connection with a serial stabbing-spree that resulted in at least 20 attacks and five deaths in Michigan and two other states.
The suspect, 33-year-old Elias Abuelazam, was taken into custody around 10 p.m. Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and was being held on unrelated charges. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials now confirm he was trying to board a Delta flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
A law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity tells the Associated Press that Abuelazam is an Israeli citizen who is in the U.S. legally.
[pagebreak]
A ‘person of interest’ in a series of killings in Michigan and attacks in Leesburg, West Virgina and Ohio was taken into custody in Atlanta late Wednesday as he attempted to flee the country, authorities said Thursday morning. Police believe the attacks are racially motivated.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, acting on information from the FBI, apprehended the suspect about 10 p.m. Wednesday at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to a statement from the agency. The man was preparing to board Delta Flight 152 bound for Tel Aviv.
Officials said warrants have been issued for the man’s arrest in both Michigan and Virginia. He was placed into the custody of the FBI and Atlanta Police Department. A law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post the man has relatives in the Leesburg area.
Leesburg police spokesman Chris Jones said the individual–whose name was not released–also has ties to Flint, Mich., where most of the attacks have taken place. News stations in Michigan reported that the man worked in Beecher, just north of Flint. The man was taken into custody and was being held on unrelated charges, Jones said.[pagebreak]
