Saudi Suspect in Warrensburg Murder Mysteriously Freed

A Saudi national charged for the Warrensburg murder of Blaine Whitworth was just released from a Missouri jail where he has been held since the September 2012 slaying of the 25-year-old local bar owner.

 

Ziyad Abid, 24, was in the Warrensburg area on a student visa and, like a few of his infamous Saudi compatriots, also had a fascination with flying -- he was studying aviation at the University of Central Missouri so he too could become a pilot.

 

Accused of hiring hitman Reginald Singletary to shoot Whitworth to death in front of his home last year, inmate Abid's sudden release from jail yesterday follows on the heels of an equally surprising visit to Warrensburg, MO by Barack Obama at the tail end of July.

 

Shortly thereafter prosecutors mysteriously dropped all charges against Abid, in a carefully worded statement declaring that "our understanding of evidence previously obtained from a critical witness has changed. As a result, the state is currently left without sufficient evidence to support the prosecution at this time."

 

No further details were provided by officials and phone calls requesting legal clarification were not returned.

 

The Warrensburg murder first made national headlines when Saudi-born suspect Abid was denied bail. Then, when finally granted it on appeal, the $2-million bond was paid for by his country via a wire transfer and that payment swiftly rejected by the judge.

 

In its refusal, the court stated it was concerned about the source of the money and understandably viewed the foreign defendant as a probable flight risk.

 

Ziyad Abid's case, particularly the secretive nature of his absolution from charges of premeditated homicide, mirrors the events that took place in the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing this past spring.

 

In that controversy, Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, a Saudi national in his twenties, was sought and detained by police for his role in the terror plot, only to be quietly released from custody days after amid public protest and hazy assertions of his 'innocence.'

 

Alharbi has close familial ties with a number of well known Saudi terrorists; it is believed he's since fled the United States for his homeland and affluent tribe.

 

The American government's dubious relationship with Saudi Arabia, and its frequent intervention on behalf of that oil-rich kingdom's nationals who stand accused of committing heinous crimes on our shores, has justifiably fallen under scrutiny since 9/11.

 

After all, almost every single one of the hijackers responsible for that unprecedented terrorist attack in 2001 were Saudi citizens. None were actually from later-bombed Afghanistan or Iraq.

 

And, just like Ziyad Abid, these wealthy young Saudis were all here on student visas too, learning how to navigate big planes into tall buildings.

 

The current whereabouts of aviator Abid remains unknown today...

 

EPONYMOUS ROX

 

MIRANDA WARNING: Gov't Removes Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from Hospital to Military Prison

Less than a day after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was finally issued the required Miranda Warning and thereby invoked his right to silence and legal representation, the government quietly removed the injured youth from the intensive care unit at a Boston hospital to a military prison 40 miles away.

 

Tsarnaev, an American citizen, is of course being charged as such for whatever his role was in the Boston Marathon explosions but has not yet been tried. So it isn't clear why he would be incarcerated in a facility run by the armed forces, and the move is likely to further call into question the unusual treatment of this teenager.

 

Prior to being read his rights, U.S. agents claim Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, now known as Boston Bomber Suspect #2, had been providing them with elaborate confessions. This, despite the fact that the boy's throat is half blown away from bullet wounds received while in the act of surrendering, and that he's also been heavily medicated for excruciating pain the entire time they were interrogating him.

 

But, regardless of this flagrant abuse, many Americans say they are pleased to see a fellow citizen unconstitutionally stripped of their civil liberties merely by being accused of a crime against the state. And, not incidentally, most cheering the dire terms of Tsarnaev's detention have also indicated they'd never even heard of Miranda.

 

In fact, "Miranda Warning" was one of the most popular search terms on Google, once civil rights advocates stood up and began openly criticizing the government's well publicized intent and refusal to administer Miranda rights to Tsarnaev.

 

  

A POWERFUL WARNING: The obligation of reading suspects their rights via Miranda was enacted in the 20th century to particularly address the unlawful practice at the time of officers beating, bullying and tricking arrestees into supplying incriminating answers during questioning. It is intended to expressly reinforce sweeping protections granted U.S. citizens under the Bill of Rights in the 1780's. 

 

America's founding fathers who drafted and ratified this important document, and who themselves proudly resorted to terrorist acts and geurilla warfare in order to overthrow a vicious tyrant, took great pains to add these extra protective clauses to the then-new Constitution.

 

Such inclusions were deemed necessary because, as formerly oppressed subjects of the British king, they recognized that certain rights, such as the right to remain silent when arrested, the right to an attorney, and the right to a fair trial by a jury of one's peers, was part of the "inalienable" rights of all human beings everywhere.

 

In the era of powerful monarchies and impoverished fiefdoms, leaders of the United States guaranteeing their constituents an unimpeachable Bill of Rights was groundbreaking and today still serves as the lynchpin to our first-world democracy. Many countries, awed by the humanitarian principles espoused in that bill have since adapted similar language to their own constitutions as well, including the concept of Miranda rights for police detainees.

 

WHO IS MIRANDA? In the 1960's Ernesto Miranda was detained by police and because he and his English was so poor, was deliberately lured into implicating himself by cunning investigators. Ultimately his conviction on that illicit confession was thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court and, thereafter, the Miranda Warning was implemented nationwide so that all those who similarly found themselves in handcuffs would clearly understand their civil rights ASAP.

 

Although a controversial exception was made to Miranda in 2010 concerning any and all prisoners accused of "terrorism" and "threats to public safety," this sidestepping maneuver is still widely regarded among constitutional law scholars as an unlawful intrusion, and as such is persistently being challenged.

 

If you or someone you know are ever arrested or detained in any way by authorities and you're not immediately Mirandized, be sure to inform your attorney of this as soon as you have one or one has been appointed for you. Often any statements you made under questioning will be quashed (thrown away as illegally obtained) and in many cases the charges also will be dismissed because of the gross violation.

 

And for all those Americans still unfamiliar with this crucial piece of legislation, a properly and timely issued Miranda Warning sounds very  much like this:

"You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand? Yes or no."

"Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand? Yes or no."

"You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to police and to have an attorney present during questioning by the police now or in the future. Do you understand? Yes or no."

"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before police questioning if you wish. Do you understand? Yes or no."

"If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you are able to talk to an attorney. Do you understand? Yes or no."

"Knowing and understanding your rights as they have just been explained to you, are you still willing to answer police questions without an attorney present? Yes or no?"

 

EPONYMOUS ROX

Boston Blasts on Tax Day Look to be the Work Of Suicide Bombers

Should taxpayers demand a refund from Homeland Security?

4/16: early morning search warrants issued in Boston burb of Revere
4/16: Injured mounting: nearly 180 hospitalized now; many critical

Explosions going off in a crowded square, shrapnel flying, limbs severed, a blood bath...this sounds like a suicide bombing in some war torn country like Afghanistan or Iraq.

But it's not, it's Boston, on one of its busiest days of the year: The annual running of the Boston Marathon.

Once again, after a long lull, the terrorists--whoever these prove to be--have brought the battle home to America. In the present attack, apparently waiting to trip their bombs until all the professional runners from other countries had finished racing. 

No doubt, so the message of hate being delivered wouldn't be misconstrued or weakened.

Investigators from city, state, and federal agencies are now busy trying to piece together the crime scene in one of the nation's largest and most prosperous municipalities. But the truth is they haven't a clue who actually set off these blasts, or why they might have done so. 



And, sadly, since the United States has acquired so many deadly enemies over the past few decades, officials hesitate to even speculate as to who may be to blame.

In the process of searching for all the answers and trying to secure a frightened city as well as the terrified country itself, yet more incendiary devices have been dismantled, Boston's police now state. These found in various other locations.

However, despite earlier media reports, officials still insist there is no one actually in police custody, and nobody has claimed responsibility for the deed, either.

In the name of homeland security and the war on terrorism, an awful lot of money has been appropriated from the public, ostensibly to safeguard them from just this type of cruelty and carnage. In the process, constitutional liberties were sytematically undermined, a necessity, our elected representatives assured us...

But this event shows it was all largely for naught. Three citizens are dead, one of them an eight-year-old child, and about 150 more victims are currently in hospitals, a great many of these having had their mangled arms and/or legs amputated. 

People are still missing, others may yet die or already be dead, and survivors' lives are forever destroyed.

Why weren't these Americans safe? Why weren't they protected?

Eponymous Rox

Boston mayor's Hotline for victims' families: 617-635-4500

Boston police department's tip line for witnesses: 800-494-8477

ALERT: U.S. citizens are warned to use extra

caution in crowds and near trash receptacles