Sons of the Flying Imams

Shortly before noon on a sunny Sunday in March, two Toyota SUVs rolled to a stop along a dirt road in north Phoenix.

About 20 young Muslim males climbed out, armed with assault rifles, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and handguns. The location near Happy Valley Road and 51st Avenue [less than three miles from my home and less than 10 miles from the Ben Avery pulic shooting range. Gee, I wonder why they didn't go there?? - Kirls] is a desert recreation site for off-road motorists, hikers and bikers, dozens of whom were enjoying the spring-like weather. [hmmm, 20 young muslim males? Now, where have we heard anything unpleasant about (approximately) 20 young muslim men before? - Kirls]

For more than an hour, the shooters blasted away at a granite rock and empty cans in front of a hill. [an hour??? where the heck were the authorities??? this is a popular hiking area!!! - Kirls

Officials estimate the fusillade totaled 500 to 1,000 rounds. Some shooters left before police arrived and detained 10 adults and five boys, including an 11-year-old.

The young men and boys told officers the weapons belonged to their parents. They said they were not aware it was illegal to use firearms in the residential area.

Six were arrested and charged with felony weapons violations in Maricopa County Superior Court. Among them were the 20- and 21-year-old sons of two imams at Phoenix-area mosques, as well as the 20-year-old son of Abdallah. [ah yes, raising 'em right i see. you know, to obey civil laws. oh, wait, it IS illegal to discharge a firearm within the city limits there. - Kirls]

Phoenix police then notified the Arizona Counter Terrorism Center, a clearinghouse for intelligence, and the case was referred to the FBI, Lewis confirmed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was called to trace the guns, its Arizona chief said.

Soliman Saadeldin, brother of one of the imams on the jetliner and a board member at the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix, was not surprised by the
reaction.

"Twenty Muslims? Of course the FBI, the CIA and the White House would be worried," Saadeldin said. [right, because 20 young muslim males never did anything violent or illegal before - Kirls]

Valley Islamic leaders were furious at the youngsters, he added, knowing how the incident might be perceived. [I'll bet. Furious about tipping your hand at what you're training these young men for. - Kirls]

"I'm one of those who got mad at them. (But) they went over there just to have fun shooting. ... It's showing off more than anything else," Saadeldin said.

He described the target shooting as merely bad judgment by a group of young guys out for a good time.

Read it all.

I listen to local radio pretty much all day nearly every day and strangely enough, I never heard anything about this until the news was 6 months old.

Something I find rather strange in that article is the statement about "spring-like weather". Who would expect "spring-like weather" in March? in Phoenix? duh!

I hope these little jihadi-wannabes get thrown in jail for a very long time. Including the 11-year old. As we just learned here in Arizona, even a child can kill.