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October 11, 2014
29 years later, still no charges in Alex Odeh's assassination
October 11, 2014 marks the 29th commemoration of the assassination of Alex Odeh, Southern California Regional Director, of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Alex Odeh was tragically assassinated on October 11, 1985.
Alex Odeh's life was taken by a pipe bomb that exploded as he entered the ADC office in Santa Ana, California. In addition to killing Mr. Odeh, the bomb injured several other victims. The FBI quickly named the militant Jewish Defense League, or JDL, as a focus of its investigations. But decades later, no one has been questioned or indicted for Odeh’s murder.
The FBI classified the bombing as an act of terrorism and designated an investigation into the bombing as a highest national priority, yet the case remains unresolved and the perpetrators continue to live with impunity.
A Palestinian-American who was born in the West Bank, Alex Odeh was a tireless advocate for peace who dedicated his life to defending civil liberties in the U.S. and human rights abroad. He was a published poet, a lecturer of Arabic Language and Middle East history at Coastline College in Santa Ana, and a peaceful human rights activist. He was planning to speak at a prayer service at a synagogue in California on the day of his murder.
The ADC, commemorating the 29th anniversary of Alex Odeh's assassination said:
"For nearly three decades, ADC and the Arab-American community have taken action to demand justice for Alex Odeh and his family. Within the past year, numerous Congressional members, including Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Congressman Jim Moran, Congressman Keith Ellison, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting an update on the case.
"In August, President Obama gave a speech vowing to be ‘vigilant’ and ‘relentless’ in pursuing terrorists. He said, “The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what's necessary to see that justice is done.” This commitment to justice should hold true for the terrorists that killed Palestinian-American Alex Odeh, who are currently living with impunity in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
"ADC continues to urge the Department of Justice to take decisive action to resolve this terrorist attack and bring justice to those who murdered Alex Odeh."
Petition demands justice
In 2013, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in circulating a petition demanding justice for Alex Odeh. The petition reads:
28 years ago, a terrorist attack killed a US citizen on US soil. Although the FBI identified three suspects right after the attack, to date, none of them has been indicted or even questioned.
On the morning of October 11, 1985, in the city of Santa Ana, California, a pipe bomb exploded as Alex Odeh opened the door to the Southern California Regional Office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Shortly after, Alex was pronounced dead at the local hospital. The explosion injured seven other people and demolished the office.
Alex was scheduled to speak at a Friday prayer service at a synagogue in Fountain Valley, CA the day of his murder.
The FBI identified the murderers almost immediately after the attack. On November 9, 1985, FBI spokesman Lane Bonner named the JDL as the terrorist organization behind Alex Odeh’s murder. On July 16, 1986, while testifying at a Congressional hearing, FBI Executive Assistant Director Oliver Revell confirmed that the FBI had identified the "extremist elements" who were responsible for Alex's murder.
The FBI designates the JDL as a right-wing terrorist group. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the JDL as a hate group for its "long history of bombing, assaulting and threatening its perceived enemies" such as "Palestinian leaders, prominent black Americans and even Jewish moderates"
To date, twenty-eight years later, no arrests or charges have been made. The US government has not even interviewed or questioned the suspects.
Please demand justice for Alex Odeh by signing this petition.
Dear Attorney General Eric Holder,
We the undersigned call on the United States Department of Justice to hold those responsible for Alex Odeh's murder accountable.
On the morning of October 11, 1985, in the city of Santa Ana, California, a pipe bomb exploded as Alex Odeh opened the door to the Southern California Regional Office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Shortly after, Alex was pronounced dead at the local hospital. The terrorist attack injured seven other people and demolished the office.
Although the FBI almost immediately identified the three individuals responsible for carrying out the attack, no indictments were ever made.
We demand that Alex Odeh’s murderers be brought to justice.
Courtesy: American Muslim Perspective
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