Thaindian News

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (BNO NEWS) – An Israeli man was arrested at an airport in Atlanta, Georgia, in connection to the series of stabbings in Flint, Michigan and in Leesburg, Virginia, the Michigan State Police (MSP) announced on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a man identified the suspect from a sketch released by the MSP on Friday and called the authorities. Law enforcement officers tracked the subject to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

At about 10 p.m. local time, the suspect, Elias Abuelazam, was arrested, as he attempted to board Delta flight 152 bound to Tel Aviv. Abuelazam, a 34-year-old Israeli citizen, was taken into custody by U. S. Customs Border Protection Officers and offered no resistance.

The suspect is wanted for a series of attacks that began on May 24. He is linked to 16 stabbings in the Flint area and three similar cases in Leesburg. Authorities in Toledo, Ohio also believe that he is related to one stabbing perpetrated last Saturday. From these 20 attacks, five were fatal.

The Viriginia State Police said that Abuelazam chose his victims by their skin color. The victims in the 20 attacks were mostly black and police suspect that they were racially motivated. The youngest victim was 17; the oldest was 60. His neighbors in Virginia said that he was a pleasant neighbor and never suspected him of exhibiting racist tendencies. They only informed authorities about some domestic disturbances.

The attack usually followed the same pattern. Abuelazam approached black men late at night on lonely urban roads and asked for directions or help with a broken-down car. Suddenly, he pulled out a knife and struck. Then, he fled, leaving them for dead.

The suspect assaulted one man every four days since the first stabbing. The frequency of the attacks terrified the citizens of the cities he targeted. Abuelazam is currently under custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Atlanta. Officers from the MSP have been sent to Atlanta to aid in the investigation.