FRANKFURT-U.S. AIRMEN MURDER CASE: Suspect admits killing US airmen at German airport!

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By DAVID McHUGH and DAVID RISING, Associated Press / Aug 31, 9:15 AM EDT.

AP Photo/Michael Probst.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - A Kosovo Albanian man confessed Wednesday to killing two U.S. airmen at the Frankfurt airport, saying in emotional testimony at the opening of his trial that he had been influenced by radical Islamic propaganda online.

Arid Uka, 21, is charged with two counts of murder for the March 2 slaying of Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, from South Carolina, and Airman 1st Class Zachary R. Cuddeback, 21, from Virginia. He also faces three counts of attempted murder in connection with the wounding of two others.

Although Germany has experienced scores of terrorist attacks in past decades, largely from leftist groups like the Red Army Faction, the airport attack was the first attributed to an Islamic extremist.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been about a half-dozen other jihadist plots that were either thwarted or failed - including a 2007 plan to kill Americans at the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein Air Base.

Uka went to the airport with the intent "to kill an indeterminate number of American soldiers, but if possible a large number," prosecutor Herbert Deimer told a state court in Frankfurt.

No pleas are entered in the German system, and Uka confessed to the killings after the indictment was read, telling the court "what I did was wrong but I cannot undo what I did." He went on to urge other radical Muslims not to seek inspiration in his attack, urging them not to be taken in by "lying propaganda" on the Internet.

"To this day I try to understand what happened and why I did it... but I don't understand," he said.

Rest at,

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_US_AIRPORT_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

           

WITH PHOTOS: 10 Cities Where Americans Can't Get To Work: 24/7 Wall St.!

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huffingtonpost.com / Posted: 8/22/11 04:46 PM ET.

Job access rate: 19.8 percent

Public transportation coverage: 57.9 percent (8th lowest)

Zero-vehicle households: 7.3 percent

Zero-vehicle households with low-income: 71.2 percent

Only 58% of households in the Augusta metropolitan area without cars are located near public transportation. As a result, less than 20% of jobs are reachable in at least 90 minutes for those households. A major reason for these low rates is the cost of the city's bus system. In June 2011, it was decided that the bus system would be privatized, a move that is expected to save the city $400,000 a year, according to The Augusta Chronicle. According to its proponents, privatization may also improve overall availability of transportation.

From 24/7 Wall St.: There are over 7.5 million households in the U.S. in which the residents do not own an automobile. Of course, these homes rely on public transportation to commute to work, schools and shopping. Yet, 700,000 of those households don’t even have access to public transit, according to the Brookings Institution. And for those with access, just over 40% of jobs in their metropolitan areas are accessible within 90 minutes. In some areas, it is much worse. 24/7 Wall St. identified the ten metropolitan areas with the lowest rates of job access, as outlined in the Brookings report.

This lack of effective transportation is extremely restrictive, limiting where people can work and what they can do. Sixty percent of zero-vehicle households have incomes that are less than 80% the median income for the metro area. Although it is unclear whether poor access to jobs increases the odds of poverty in and of itself, it is obvious that it plays some role. It is therefore not entirely surprising that areas with low job access have high rates of people with low incomes.

Metropolitan areas with low job access are not necessarily a far distance from transit. Miami, for instance, has the 8th best public transportation coverage in the nation, yet one of the lowest rates of job access. This is due in part to the metropolitan area’s size and urban sprawl, as well as inefficiencies within its massive bus network that prevent people from reaching a large number of jobs in a reasonable amount of time, defined by Brookings as 90 minutes or less.

Full Story with Photos at,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/10-cities-where-americans-cant-get-to-work_n_933277.html#s335515&title=10_AugustaRichmond_County

  

Iran Convicts U.S. Hikers, branding as 'spies'!

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Ramin Setoodeh, thedailybeast.com / Jul 30, 2011 9:23 AM EDT.

Aug 20, 2011 1:15 PM EDT — In a move that could further strain relations between the two countries, two American hikers who have been detained for two years for crossing the Iranian border have been sentenced to eight years in prison for being "spies." Ramin Setoodeh talked to their friends and family during the trial.

After two years in prison, the U.S. hikers charged with espionage head to their final trial on Sunday. Ramin Setoodeh talks to their friends and families about their chances of returning.

Update: The two Americans who have been imprisoned in Iran since 2009 have been sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage and crossing an unmarked border, according to a news report from Iran.

Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were taken into custody while vacationing in Iraq two summers ago, after they got lost in the mountains and wandered into Iran. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released last year on $500,000 bail. Even before the verdict was announced, the families of the hikers told Newsweek they would appeal a decision that didn't bring their sons home immediately.

"To our many supporters: we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for your messages of support!" the family wrote on their Twitter account, upon announcement of the verdict. "What we need now more than ever is your support in getting Shane & Josh released. Peaceful communication is MOST supportive to us during this intensely challenging time, especially as it honors the values that Sarah, Shane and Josh hold so dear."

The men have now served 750 days in prison, compared to the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 which lasted 444 days.

Laura Fattal has written 728 letters to her son Josh, one for each day that he’s been held in an Iranian prison. “Grandma turned 85 seven months ago, but she’s also waiting for you to celebrate,” she wrote to him on June 4, Josh’s 29th birthday. “Just as they did last year, she and Grandpa have sent us a birthday card and gift for you. They’re waiting at the house, unopened, for your return.”

Al Bauer has two years of Christmas presents stored in his closet for his son Shane. Since 2009, he’s only had a single 90-second phone conversation with his son, when Shane called him unexpectedly at work. “I’ve done a lot of crying,” Al says. “I just want to be able to hold him.”

By next week, he might finally be able to do that.

Full Story at,

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/30/sarah-shourd-and-others-hope-iran-will-set-the-hikers-free.html