In the wake of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington DC, fear and uncertainty became the norm around the nation, and appallingly, some Americans chose to channel this fear in the most destructive manner possible: by attacking innocent human beings in some sort of delusional attempt to get revenge for the horrifying events of 9/11.
Hate crimes, particularly those targeting people perceived as being Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent, rose dramatically after September 11th, 2001, and while many of the perpetrators of these vile acts were eventually caught and convicted—such as Frank Roque, who murdered forty-nine-year old Sikh man Balbir Singh Sodhi in Mesa, Arizona and attempted to kill several others; and white supremacist Mark Stroman, who murdered Indian American Vasudev Patel in Mesquite, Texas, and also confessed to killing Pakistani Waqar Hassan in Dallas—some of the homicides remain unsolved, and the persons responsible may still be at large.
One such case is that of forty-eight-year-old Adel Karas. Originally hailing from Cairo, Egypt, where he had been an agricultural engineer, Adel had fled his native country to London, England in 1973. Ironically, in light of later events, Adel was a Coptic Christian, escaping persecution by the Muslim majority in Egypt.
After living for six years in England, Adel eventually made his way to the United States in 1979, and settled in the San Gabriel Valley in California. His wife Randa became an anesthesiologist, the couple eventually had three sons, and Adel opened a store called the International Market, where he soon became a beloved fixture in the diverse neighborhood. He spoke three languages fluently, and always had a smile and a joke for all of his regular customers.
But tragedy would find Adel Karas, even within the confines of his previously safe and long-established business. At a little past three p.m. on Saturday, September 15th, 2001, four days after the terrorist attacks, two men walked into the International Market and shot Adel Karas dead. Nothing was taken from the store; the cash register was open, but no money was missing, indicating that the crime had not been a robbery.
Witnesses reported that the two assailants left the scene in an older model, copper-colored Honda driven by a third man. The suspects were described as being clean-cut Latino males in their mid-twenties, of average height, and with darker complexions.
The overwhelming suspicion in regards to the motive of the homicide is that it was likely a hate crime, and that Adel Karas was singled out because of his appearance and his perceived religion. Those who adhere to this theory point out that not only was nothing stolen from the store, but that a local mosque was located only a block from the establishment, and the killers may have associated Adel with the mosque, although he obviously did not attend it.
There has also been some more recent hypothesizing that the killing might have been the result of an extortion racket, as there is some witness evidence to suggest that one of the same men who was responsible for the shooting was possibly seen at the store the day before the murder as well. According to a detective on the case, three suspects were positively identified, though the District Attorney declined to file charges in the case, as there was reportedly insufficient evidence. One of the alleged assailants was taken into custody shortly after Adel Karas’s murder for an unrelated shooting of a police deputy.
Whatever the motive, the Karas family still hope that they will one day find justice and closure.
Crime Immemorial 