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September 13, 2006

US: Philly Mosque Shooter Is Sentenced

We reported on November 10 last year that Robert Blackburn, a resident of Hatfield, Montgomery County in Philadelphia, was arrested. He was found in his car outside the North Penn Mosque in Lansdale, with a .22 caliber rifle and a quantity of spent and unused ammunition. He tried to drive off when police arrived at 3.45 am that morning. It appeared that he had been firing shots at vehicles parked beside the mosque, a Honda Accord and an old Lincoln. Police had been called after residents reported hearing gunfire.

These two cars were riddled with a total of 52 bullet holes. Mr Blackburn (pictured) was charged on November 29 on counts of ethnic intimidation and reckless endangerment.

Today, the Philadelphia Morning Call reports that Mr Blackburn, of Vine Street, was sentenced on Monday (September 11) to nine to twenty three months in Montgomery County Prison. He also was sentenced to five years' probation. He has already spent 10 months in custody at the prison.

52-year old Blackburn said his son was in Iraq and had pleaded guilty, even though he had originally pleaded not guilty. He said he was suffering from a mental illness. He himself had been in the army, and his father had been in the army.

Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Flannery said: "He knew what he was doing and what he was doing was wrong. But he was acting in part [because] of his mental illness and that's why we didn't push for state time." She added: "He had it twisted in his mind that this was a symbol of what his son was fighting in Iraq."

Blackburn has no prior criminal record. He must also pay $6,600 restitution for damage done to the two cars, which belonged to a religious leader at the mosque and a member of the congregation. Furthermore, he must undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The Saudi-funded organization CAIR (which supports Palestinian terror organ Hamas) has been interfering with this case from the start, trying to have Mr Blackburn prosecuted at the highest level. Its spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, with no compassion for Mr Blackburn's mental state, crowed his triumph. He said: "'We're obviously encouraged that he's going to pay a price for his actions. This will probably send a message to the local Muslim community that their safety is of concern to local law officials. Hopefully we can move on, but unfortunately this is just one incident in a fairly regular pattern of incidents."

It is a shame Hooper cannot be charged himself for belonging to an organization which supports terrorism.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 13, 2006 6:57 AM

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