| 10:34p |
Монтировка для батюшки
Солдат-резервист американской морской пехоты обвинен во Флориде в том, что ударил монтировкой греческого православного священника, который заблудился и пытался узнать у местного жителя дорогу.
По версии священника, он подошел к резервисту и сказал на своем limited English: "Пожалуйста, помогите!" После чего получил по голове монтировкой и три квартала убегал от разъяренного американца.
По версии резервиста, человек, похожий на араба, кричал "Аллах акбар!" и пытался его ограбить.
Полиция пытается выяснить, можно ли квалифицировать инцидент как нападение (на грека) на почве национальной розни.
У кого не limited English, читайте полностью материал АР (это вторая версия, в лиде из выражения Arab terrorist убрано слово Arab):
TAMPA, Florida (AP) _ A Marine reservist was charged with attacking a Greek Orthodox priest he mistook for a terrorist.
Jasen D. Bruce allegedly hit 29-year-old Alexios Marakis over the head with a tire iron and chased him for three blocks Monday evening before Tampa police officers intervened.
Marakis, a Greek Orthodox priest visiting from Crete, told police he had stopped to ask the 28-year-old reservist for help after getting lost in downtown Tampa. He had just performed a blessing of another priest and accidentally got off the highway.
Marakis approached Bruce as he was unloading his dry-cleaning, police said.
"Please, please help," Marakis said to Bruce in his limited English.
Bruce pulled out a tire iron and attacked the priest, police said. He then called police as he chased Marakis, saying an Arabic man was trying to rob him. When officers arrived, Bruce told them the man was a terrorist.
Bruce told police he heard Marakis yell, "Allahu akbar!" _ Arabic for "God is great," according to Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.
Marakis, however, does not speak Arabic, McElroy said. He speaks Greek.
Police are working to determine if the offense meets the standard for a hate crime.
Authorities could not immediately provide the name of Bruce's attorney. |