An Indian-immigrant gas station owner was shot dead, while bullets were fired at a Lebanese-American clerk at another gas station and at the home of a family of Afghan descent, police said. Authorities charged one man in all three attacks and were investigating if the crimes were motivated by Tuesday's terror attacks.
Frank Roque, 42, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of drive-by shootings, police said Sunday.
Around the country, several apparent backlash attacks and threats have been reported against people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent.
PHOTO: AP
The East Valley Tribune reported that Roque shouted, "I stand for America all the way," as he was handcuffed Saturday night.
Police were still investigating, and had yet to determine whether to add hate crimes charges.
"Certainly, the bias crime is paramount in our investigators' minds," Seargent Mike Goulet said. "That is something we are looking at."
Navtej Sarna, a press spokesman at the Indian Embassy, said officials from his government have contacted President George W. Bush and other officials about the attacks. "We've been assured it will receive the attention of the highest authorities," Sarna said.
India is satisfied with the response so far and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressed to Bush India's strong support for the US, Sarna said. "India is really sharing the pain and anger of the American people. We ourselves have been victims of terrorism in our country."
Police also notified FBI officials who investigate hate crimes, he said. Roque was arraigned Sunday and bond was set at US$1 million.
The first shooting killed Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, a Sikh. His relatives pointed to the fact that the gas station wasn't robbed as evidence that Sodhi was targeted because of how he looked. Male Sikhs often have long facial hair and wear turbans.
The clerk at the second gas station was a US citizen of Lebanese descent, according to his employers, Ali Saad and Saad Saad. The brothers, who didn't give the clerk's name, said they had no doubt that he was targeted because of his race.
"In Mesa, Arizona, today, it's time for calm, rational thought," Mayor Keno Hawker said Sunday. "These people are innocent. Because they wear a turban on their head is no indication they are terrorists."
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