At approximately 1030 on April the 3rd 2009 one armed man apparently carrying a high powered rifle went into the Binghamton American Civic Association building and shot dead the two receptionists at the front desk. He then went on to kill a further 13 before turning the gun on himself. The following day April 4, 2009 it transpired that he used two hand guns and not a high powered rifle, as was first thought.
So at first glance this seems like just another shooting in America, there have been 5 such mass shootings in this past month. However on the 31st of March 2009 following the drone attacks in Pakistan Baituallah Mehsud who is believed to me the leader of the Taliban warned that there would “Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world."(1)
They day following the shooting Mehsud then claimed that "I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to U.S. drone attacks,"(2). He then went on to say that there were two attackers something that was claimed in the original press reports at time of the attacks. Mehsud then went on to say “I will not disclose identity of the other attacker as the American police are searching for him,"(3). In Mehsud’s conversation with the journalists he also claimed that there would be further attacks.
If this claim is to be believed then this is the first terrorist attack launched inside the United States since 9/11. Some people have claimed that this is Mehsud getting desperate and that he is bluffing. I however disagree with this. There are a number of questions that arise the more one thinks about this shooting and the claim of responsibility.
Firstly how could Mehsud know that there were two hand guns used when at the time when all of the media reports at the time claimed that it was a high powered rifle used. Then there is the claim of another gun man. If Mehsud is trying to claim responsibility for something he didn’t do then why does he go against other reports and make the claim that there was a second gun man sourly he would only make this claim if he truly knew that there were two shooters. Also Mehsud lives like Osama Bin Laden: constantly moving about livening in caves or out of cars so how could he have known about this and appear to have such advanced knowledge of the attack manageing to claim responsibility within a day.
It is as things stand just one day after the attacks my believe that this shooting was in fact a terrorist attack I may be proved wrong but all the same Mehsud’s claim dose raise some rather difficult questions.
Sources
1. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1889286,00.html
2. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE5330GP20090404
3. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/04/content_11131154.htm
