LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 2 (UPI) -- A man who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to killing a U.S. Army recruiter said he was angry about the killing of Muslims, Arkansas investigators said.
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad of Little Rock was ordered held without bail at a court hearing, The New York Times reported. He was arrested Monday near the Little Rock Army/Navy Career Center where he allegedly killed Pvt. William A. Long, 23, of Conway and wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville.
Both soldiers were part of a program to use recent basic training graduates as recruiters in their home areas. They were both taking a break in the parking lot when Muhammad allegedly opened fire from a black SUV.
Scott Duncan, a prosecutor, read from a police report during the hearing: "He stated he would have killed more soldiers if they had been in the parking lot."
Police Chief Stuart Thomas told the Times that Muhammad, who had changed his name from Carlos Bledsoe, told police he became a Muslim as a teenager. In a telephone interview, he said Muhammad cited anger over U.S. killing of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan as his reason for the shooting.
