When Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar called the police to turn himself in for driving a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee through the University of North Carolina meeting area known as ‘The Pit’, he told police that he committed the act due to “avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.” No word yet on why he chose to try to kill university students as opposed to drive the same car through a mosque.

Taheri-azar claimed the police would understand his motives as to why he did the act once they entered his apartment. Authorities were wary that his apartment was boobytrapped or that there was something horrific to be found inside.
While the police thus far are pretty silent on what was found in Taheri-azar’s apartment that he shared with two roomates, there are clues as to what was inside. From The Daily Tarheel, the University of North Carolina’s student-run newspaper:

Taheri-azar’s room was littered with debris from where the door was blasted in and various belongings. Among them were U.S. Army pamphlets and a letter notifying him of an interview date for the Nova Southeastern University doctorate program.

In his closet, where no bags were packed and most of his clothes remained, was a folded-up degree certificate from UNC. His powder-blue gown hung neatly at the top of the closet.

Written on the calendar were his shifts at Jimmy John’s on Franklin Street, where he worked. On the calendar was the phrase, “Light shine in the peaceful mind.”

Clearly this isn’t what Taheri-azar was referring to when he said his motive would be revealed after the police entered his apartment and I suspect we’ll find out once the investigation is wrapped up. That investigation though is not going any further than the state level at this time, which has caused “UNC students [to] rally against the act and protest the news media’s reluctance to label it terrorism.”

As Taheri-azar left the courtroom today, he said he was “thankful for the opportunity to spread the will of Allah.” When asked if his motive was to kill people, he said it was. But this isn’t terrorism, I suppose.

Athena at Terrorism Unveiled (via Michelle Malkin) argues Taheri-azar was a social outcast, even being blackballed by Sigmi Phi Epsilon as a pledge, and that this was a lone-jihadi. One cannot argue that there was operational support behind Taheri-azar, but that doesn’t mean this was not an act of terrorism. Athena states that because Taheri-azar was socially inept, he “[found] a purpose in a religious ideology.” Indeed.

He had money, he had an education (UNC graduate), he had a job (although it was at a local fast food restaurant–Jimmy John’s subs) he turned to this. Once again, this shows that it’s not necessarily poverty that drives people to take on these type of causes.

Reagan's Children Blog linked with Jihad at the University of North Carolina...
Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator linked with Man Accused in UNC Attack Appears in Court...