opinions-political-terrorism

Man Awaiting Execution Asks Muslims Not to Avenge His Death on Civilians By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 7 (AP) ? A day after the government warned that the execution of a Pakistani could result in attacks against Americans, the condemned man said today that he did not support any retaliation by his fellow Muslims.

"I'm against attacks on civilian Americans," the man, Aimal Khan Kasi, said in a telephone interview from death row at a Waverly, Va., prison. "They are not responsible for my execution. I'm not encouraging attacks against anybody." Advertisement

Mr. Kasi killed two employees of the Central Intelligence Agency, Frank Darling, a 28-year-old communications worker, and Lansing Bennett, a 66-year-old analyst and physician, on Jan. 25, 1993, as they sat in their cars at a stoplight outside the agency's headquarters in McLean?, Va.

Three other men were wounded as Mr. Kasi fired into cars. He is to be executed by injection on Nov. 14.

On Wednesday, the State Department warned that the execution of Mr. Kasi could result in retaliation against Americans around the world.

Mr. Kasi, 38, who said he earned a master's degree in English literature in Pakistan, insisted he was not a terrorist.

"What I did was a retaliation against the U.S. government" for American policy in the Middle East and its support of Israel, he said. "It had nothing to do with terrorism."

Mr. Kasi said he did not agree with the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

"They were totally wrong," he said. "They were attacks against civilian people."

But he refused to condemn the attack on the Pentagon that same day "since the Pentagon is an agency involved in attacks against Muslim countries."

He said he has no regret about the killings he committed.

"I'm not sorry for attacking the C.I.A.," he said. "You know, I feel sorry and sad for the families of the victims. I don't say that I feel happy or proud for it."

Mr. Kasi has an appeal pending with the United States Supreme Court. He said his lawyer would submit a clemency request to Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/08/national/08KASI.html

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