RSS:
Ismail Ax
April 17, 2007(Updates within updates now in Orange.)
Apparently that's what Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui had written on one of his arms in red ink, according to this story. There's no mention in the article of what this might mean.
A Google search of "Ismail Ax" isn't very helpful. A search of the term on Wikipedia resulted in this page, which notes that Ismail is the Romanian/Turkish term for Izmail, a "historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast (province) of south-western Ukraine."
The NY Post has some thoughts on "Ismail" here. In the Islamic account of Abraham Ismail (Hebrew: Ishmael) is the son of Abraham and the ancestor of the Arab people.
I wonder if we'll know what the phrase was intended to mean, and why he painted his arm with it?
*As an aside: How long before those words become some sort of bizarre cultural icon, with t-shirts, websites** and more? Ugh.
**Too late! ismailax.com was actually registered by someone on 17-Apr-07. C'mon, people. Maybe someone out there with more nerve than I can ask Mr. Patterson what in the world he was thinking. (If he's trying to prevent someone from using it, I think I can understand that. In that case make the registration info anonymous.)
And here's another forward-thinking individual: ChoSeung-Hui.com. Sigh.
• The pdf file was titled "axishmiel". This would represent the fifth reported spelling of this word: Ismail, Ismale, Ismael, Ishmael and Ishmiel.
• The pdf was last modified at 7:24am. Assuming a properly set computer, that would be minutes after killing his first two victims. If his computer has an earlier version of this pdf it may be telling to discover what was changed at that time.
• One word file was last modified April 13 at 3:45pm. An avi file was last modified April 10 at 9:40am. This would have been six days before the shooting, clearing establishing some sort of premeditation.
• The names of the video clips are particularly strange, including one that is apparently called "am al qaeda".
Finally, I've seen a number of the photos of Cho and haven't seen any visible writing or tattoos. This isn't conclusive (a tattoo could be under a sleeve, for example) but supports a scenario where he wrote something on his arm near the end of his rampage.
We don't have the entire record of what Cho sent; there have been allusions to President Bush, the Columbine killers, Jesus and other things that don't make much sense (and maybe never will.) I'm not sure it's useful to speculate what this all may mean without seeing the entire body of work. Even little details like the modification/creation times and dates on the files Cho sent may shed light on the chronology of events. (For that matter, his computer should be a wealth of information: sites visited, files created but not used, writing, IMs, etc.)
But really - at this point all I'd like to know: is it writing or a tattoo? Is it on the arm or the hand? Is it on the left or the right? These seem like pretty basic details to report (and report accurately.)
UPDATE SOMEWHERE IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS: NBC received a package today from Cho, mailed between killings (how horrible is that?). Here's an image of the package via MSNBC's site, and I've enlarged the signature twice. Can you make out how he signed it? It looks like "A. Ishmael" to me.
UPDATE LOSING COUNT: An interesting typographic issue came up today; many articles are referring to the writing on Cho as saying "Ismale Ax." I have no idea why there would be a serious discrepancy like this, or why no one would notice it. A search of Google News for both terms showed zero results, which I take to mean that no one has written about the discrepancy.
Here's a link to a Charleston Daily Mail article that uses the alternate spelling. Here's a Google News search for the terms "Ismale Ax." UPDATE IN AN UPDATE: This MSNBC article has yet another spelling: "Investigators said Cho’s body was found Monday with the words “Ismael Ax” scrawled on his arm."
There is also some question as to whether this was written or tattoed. This Miami Herald article says "adding that he had the cryptic words, ''Ismale Ax,'' tattooed on one arm." A minor point, perhaps, but a tattoo would have been done by a Tattoo-er (I can't believe I just wrote that) who might know more about the whole issue. Tattooing (I'm talking about Body Art now, not the Fantasy Island fellow) also would require more thought and planning than just writing it on the day of the shootings.
UDPATE 10: ABCNews.com picks up this odd story, to their credit, here: 'Ismail-Ax': Breaking the Riddle. Amongst their explanations is that the term appears in a poem called "The Goat Ranchers" which reads:
Went where they'd herded goats when they were kids,
Went where they were lovers,
Went where they were married here, those fifty years ago.
Traces of Ishmael's ax on the scarred trunks of the cedar trees,
Crossing the canyons and winding arroyos.
UPDATE 9: As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, EldaRossell has posted a clarification on her blog about her photo and friend. Check it out
UPDATE 8: EldaRossell has apparently deleted her two blog posts and the Flickr picture mentioned above, and I can't say that I blame her. Her blog can be found at http://eldarossell.wordpress.com/ where it's possible she will post some sort of message or explanation. I've looked around the web for any explanation of the phrase "Ismail Ax" and there's not much out there. I wonder why? Perhaps we'll learn more in the coming days.
UPDATE 7: An article from the Sydney Morning Herald site that discusses the registration of the domain name IsmailAx.com, including some comments by the savvy sick and twisted entrepreneurial registrar. No "blood money" is sought, in spite of the fact that the URL is now home to a page full of sponsored links. (You can find it here, although I'd encourage you not to click on anything.)
UPDATE 6: The Chicago Trib has an interesting article on the web searches for "Ismail Ax" and how it raced across the net today.
UPDATE 5: Here's another blog post, this one with the Flickr photo referenced above. However, I can't get to ToggleText.com. It's probably being hammered. I'll post a translation if it does ever load.
It loaded. Here it is, again FWIW:
The new friend from KorSel.
Now he and friends him was homestay (gw gak tau where) for a week.
He was younger a year from gw.
He said from his 13 friends, who were oldest had three people (26 years), one of them named Jian (that his Indonesian name, his Korean name gw gak tau).
It was youngest that around 20-21 years, his name of Indra (Kim Yun Ki).
Several weeks yg then, gw took Seung Hoo & Yun Ki to Giant Hypermarket.
They wanted to buy juice and milk.
Because in Indomaret close to WH did not sell milk, Mbak Rahma proposed that they went to Giant and he asked gw took the two children.
Seung Hoo asked how we went to Giant, whether walking or rising angkot.
Gw answered rose angkot because far.
Evidently Yun Ki just the first time that rose angkot.
Gw every was the same him, this as the exercise if later he will move to Surabaya (he was assigned there to be the Instructor Taekwondo) he gak again uneasy.
But he every will rise the taxi went straight.
Gw then commented if the taxi was expensive.
Yun Ki every it's alright.
Yes, not Yun Ki yg every like that but Seung Hoo.
Because Yun Ki still could not speak about Indonesian.
So, while chatting Sueng Hoo that translated.
When we descended in the three-way intersection to rise angkot the other route, Yun Ki commented “wah busy ya”.
In the heart gw thought “aduh here the child has a month live in wisma gak had gone out from wisma ok?
Gimana later in Surabaya?
Just As we arrived in Giant, Seung Hoo say that in fact they might not go very far.
What???
Now you’re telling me this??
Gw smiled foolishly then (in fact in the heart gw confused.
This the person's child sodara2!!
… not the village child here again … gimana if why-why trus ortu him yg in KorSel nuntut gw gitu).
Okay … relax
UPDATE 4: Unbelievable. The Smoking Gun has Cho Seung-Hui's writing already. Just amazing. Link Here. Note: I haven't read it, proceed at your own risk, as it were.
UPDATE 3: Interesting theories at Boing Boing here.
UPDATE 2: The person who took that Flickr photo (above) has a blog, and this post makes reference to "Ismail" and is titled "New Friend." Based on the comment in the Flickr post mentioning that it's hard for Indonesians to pronounce his name, I tried an Indonesian translation of this blog post. This is what I got (submitted only FWIW):
His name of Ismail.
Yep… you gak wrong read … his name of Ismail.
Sy surprised also by the name of him, trus sy tny he, is it true that that his name.
Evidently that his Indonesian name, the name in fact was Jo Sung Ho.
He and several of his colleagues from KorSel, was studying Indonesian for 2 months in WH. after that he will go to Palembang to teach the computer in the TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF MACHINERY for 2 years.
Ow, susye true chatted was the same Ismail/Sung Ho … because he was not yet fluent in Indonesian.
Bhs England then only a little (sami mawon sm sy).
But according to sy, he has been moderate could compared to his friends (sy sometimes still liked to laugh in view of the fact that his friend had difficulty really asked Indonesian).
Trus sy every was the same Ismail, he must often chat with Indonesians yg was in WH.
By the way the matter of the name, they were asked to choose the Indonesian name personally.
Sy asked why Sung Ho chose the Ismail name, he every because he wanted to be friends with the person Islam.
Trus he mentioned the veil, then mentioned the name of Ms Siam (one of the employees WH) that wore the veil.
Sy also asked whether the Indonesian name his friends.
Ismail mentioned Indra, the Torment … yep…ka you also were not wrong read … was yg his name the Torment, bayangin then!
Sy, Mbak Rus and yg other agreed if the name must be replaced.
Possibly sy tomorrow could speak first with Ismail ttg this because we janjian to chat again tomorrow night.
UPDATE 1: Well that clears that up. Not.
New! Poll: (Note: Voting is anonymous; Blog Flux creates a map of voting locations but these are generally marking cities, not houses. Have fun!)
Share/Bookmark:
Note: Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of Blog Hero nor his Alter Ego, nor necessarily any kind of actual facts. Your mileage may vary. No shoes, no shirt - no service. Void where prohibited by law.
Comments
Great find. If the person in the Flickr photo is indeed the VTech killer, the Indonesia connection may be a clue as to his motive.
Posted by: Bchan | April 17, 2007 3:49 PM
I'm not sure I've done anything remarkable here; it was hard identifying the language and if all of the time I spent reading those Hardy Boys books as a kid did anything for me it was to pick up on the comment about Indonesia, and I'm sure lots of people were doing this simultaneously. I think it still remains to be seen if these are the same people; I'd caution a rush to judgement and a "smearing" of some innocent fellow on Flickr. But if it turns out they're the same person then, well, wow.
Posted by: Some Internet Translator | April 17, 2007 4:22 PM
I really don't think its him. The blog post about him really doesn't add up. I mean maybe his teaching job fell through. But she has he doesn't speak very much English. The shooter lived in America from age 8.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 17, 2007 4:27 PM
Good point. So far the evidence suggests that the person in the Flickr photo IS NOT the VTech guy. Until I see better evidence to contradict that, I say they are two unrelated individuals.
Posted by: Bchan | April 17, 2007 4:53 PM
I'm a teacher of English as a Second Language at a university. While Cho lived in the USA for almost 15 years, it's clear he had some troubles with English grammar (see his plays). I think Ismail Ax is a mistake with the genitive and noun phrase "ax for Ismail" or axe to be used to kill Ismail. Maybe Cho thought he was acting like Abraham in the Old Testament; maybe he was delusional and thought God wanted him to do this.
Posted by: bill | April 17, 2007 5:04 PM
"Ismail Ax" = Is My Ex?
Ismail = Ismail the poet(since he majoy in english)
Posted by: dubkatz | April 18, 2007 12:20 AM
" ismail ax = ismailax = is mai lax = is my luck "
Posted by: boeddi | April 18, 2007 1:35 AM
EldaRossell has posted a clarification on her blog about her Flickr photo which some thought may have been Cho Seung-Hui. You can find the clarification here. The post sounds (understandably) distraught - I can only imagine the kind of email she's received from the best and brightest of the Internet. If you're inclined, leave a post of encouragement.
Posted by: Carl | April 18, 2007 11:15 AM
Ismail also know as Ishmael son of Abraham. Both Jewish and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael as the ancestor of Arab people.
Posted by: volf | April 18, 2007 3:47 PM
Cho, as a Korean immigrant probably was a Christian, as most Korean immigrants in US are.
Look, what he did was not the result of his first 8 years in Korea, but the last 15 years in US.
This is, by all accounts, an American tragedy.
Posted by: Charles Liu | April 18, 2007 3:58 PM
Good point Charles; I think of this more as a 'human' tragedy than a Korean or American one. I wonder what his home life looked like, and if there were warning signs earlier in his life as there appear to have been in college. I'm not sure that he was Christian - I haven't seen anything that addresses his religious or spiritual life. We may never know, as his parents certainly aren't required to say anything. (I wonder if the victim's "need to know" outweighs the parent's "right to privacy?"
Posted by: Some Blogger | April 18, 2007 4:10 PM
Ishmael means "God Hears"
Posted by: Anonymous | April 18, 2007 4:14 PM
Is it an anagram?
A MAIL SIX
A MAIL XIS
A MAILS XI
A SMILAX I
A AILS MIX
A SAIL MIX
A AXIS MIL
A LA MI SIX
A LA MI XIS
A LA MIS XI
A LA ISM XI
A LA MIX IS
A LAM I SIX
A LAM I XIS
A LAM IS XI
A SLAM I XI
A ALMS I XI
A LAMS I XI
A LAS I MIX
A LAS MI XI
A LAX I MIS
A LAX I ISM
A LAX MI IS
A AS MIL XI
A SAX I MIL
A AX I SLIM
A AX I MILS
A AX MIL IS
SALAMI XI
ALIAS MIX
AXIAL MIS
AXIAL ISM
LAMA I SIX
LAMA I XIS
LAMA IS XI
LAMAS I XI
ALAS I MIX
ALAS MI XI
AIL MAXIS
AIL MA SIX
AIL MA XIS
AIL AM SIX
AIL AM XIS
AIL MAS XI
AIL MAX IS
AIL AS MIX
AIL SAX MI
AIL AX MIS
AIL AX ISM
MAIL AXIS
MAIL AS XI
MAIL SAX I
MAIL AX IS
MAILS AX I
AILS MAXI
AILS MA XI
AILS AM XI
AILS MAX I
AILS AX MI
SAIL MAXI
SAIL MA XI
SAIL AM XI
SAIL MAX I
SAIL AX MI
AIM LA SIX
AIM LA XIS
AIM LAS XI
AIM LAX IS
AIMS LA XI
AIMS LAX I
MAXIS LA I
MAXI LA IS
MAXI LAS I
AXIS LA MI
AXIS LAM I
LA MA I SIX
LA MA I XIS
LA MA IS XI
LA AM I SIX
LA AM I XIS
LA AM IS XI
LA MAS I XI
LA MAX I IS
LA AS I MIX
LA AS MI XI
LA SAX I MI
LA AX I MIS
LA AX I ISM
LA AX MI IS
LAM AS I XI
LAM AX I IS
LAS MA I XI
LAS AM I XI
LAS AX I MI
LAX MA I IS
LAX AM I IS
LAX AS I MI
AS AX I MIL
Posted by: Larry | April 18, 2007 4:18 PM
ISMAIL
how about...
US MAIL?
the NBC documents?
Posted by: tony | April 18, 2007 6:58 PM
Some people are clearly biased and misinformed. It is sad to see how Islamophobia is spreading so fast... Let me ask you this: In the past US campus shootings, who were the perpetrators 90% of the time? Average Christian White males. Why didnt we hear anyone screaming "JESUS IS TERROR!!"?
Also, the word Ismail AX can refer to anything for all we know. I even question who wrote it on his arm for all I care I do not trust the US main stream media as we all know their anti-Islamic agenda since day 1.
-An honest Muslim
Posted by: Rock | April 18, 2007 7:19 PM
Could it be "One Small Ax"?
I know nothing about Bob Marley, but apparently he wrote:
"So if you are the big tree
We are the small axe
Ready to cut you down (well sharp)
To cut you down."
Posted by: Bill | April 18, 2007 7:37 PM
Ismail ax
i can't help but think of Bob Marley and the Wailers song
"Small Axe"
maybe his sharpie skipped on the second 'i'
If you are the big tree
We are the small axe
Sharpened to cut you down
(Well Sharp)
Ready to cut you down
Posted by: the stugots | April 18, 2007 10:43 PM
Mine’s ridiculous, but i’d like to make a wild guess. I had based it on the information i got from different news channels. Maybe it’s really not a name. It could be an abbreviation of something he’s been wanting to do. ISMAIL AX.
“I shall murder all in language at point blank”
how did i came up with this? well first of, he killed students from German and French class. that’s what i heard from fox news.
The police reports, autopsy stated that most victims were shot at “Point Blank”. There where no less than three gunshot wounds on each victim, which means he was probably determined to get a head shot.
but i'm not confident with my interpretation of X, it could be anything such as the number 10. "X" is used in maps, to search for a specific location, like where a treasure is buried. it is also used in video games to display a target.... i don't know, it's confusing.
Posted by: Rech.S | April 18, 2007 11:25 PM
On the priority mail envelope sent to NBC, he used a different spelling than what was reported by the Chicago Tribune. He used the Old Testament and Moby Dick spelling, "Ishmael."
Posted by: matt | April 18, 2007 11:33 PM
Wrap it around
ismail ax=
axis mail
Posted by: Greenfrog | April 19, 2007 1:33 AM
Maybe the words were a message for his "henchmen".
He may have known that by writing it on his arm
it would be more effective that any direct communication because it would spread worldwide and save him the bother of contacting them by normal means.
Posted by: Greenfrog | April 19, 2007 1:56 AM
J. Bailey 4/19/07
an ax fell that fatefull day,
cleaving bear the orchards trees,
the young saplings bearing fruit,
the grandfather oaks and seeds.
Ismail cried with God on high,
'till his tears were running dry,
i know its hard but you must try,
their spirits, well, they never die.
Posted by: Joshua | April 19, 2007 2:12 AM
HAS ANYONE BUT ME NOTICED his several references to others (maybe terrorists)? For example: "Do you want to inject as much misery in OUR lives..." Also, the quote about how he's doing this for his children and brothers and sisters... And on Anderson Cooper (4/18) they quoted the very end of his message as saying something like...I'm going to where the OTHERS are (can't rememeber this last quote exactly and good luck trying to find it on Google! But it referes to others as well)
ALSO, When he refers to us setting him on fire and spilling blood, maybe that's what he's trying to say about the war in Iraq - that we're doing this to the Iraqis (I know,how absured!) and he's saying when we do this monstrous stuff, we've done it to him too. A guest on Fox news (4/18) said this sounded just like terrorist videos he's seen!
Personally, I think the MEDIA'S COVERING UP because they don't want the nation to panic, the economy to go crazy and to feed the terror that this was intended to create. Anyone else agree? And don't forget about his name...Ismail/Ishmail!! I mean, can it be more obvious?
Posted by: Nicole | April 19, 2007 2:48 AM
How about we all "ask (ax) Ismael"...
Posted by: Arto of Stockholm | April 19, 2007 4:00 AM
As far as the tattoo on his arm " Ismail Ax " thats goes back to a story that is written in the bible about a young man named ( Ishmael ) who tore down some false idols with an ax that where in a temple, all except for one. Back in those times and even today people worshipped false idols and alot of them where made of gold or some kind of precious metal or stone. When the priests came into the temple they asked Ishmael why did he do it? He said, I didnt do it the only idol standing did. Of course the priests said, No way he's just an idol he cant do anything like that he's is made of stone it cant even move. What im getting to is we as a society sherish and pretty much idolize our materialistic possesions, that is why I think Cho Seung-Hui said, " Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats, your golden necklaces weren't enough, you. snobs. Your trust funds wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac wasn't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything."
Thats what im thinking what was running through his head at that time, that we value our materialistic posseions more than anything in this world. Maybe even our families. Im not saying what he did was justified because it wasnt. He could have went a whole different way with that.
Posted by: E. Galvan | April 19, 2007 4:05 AM
Ismail was the founder of a cult of Muslim killers called the Hassassins(from which the English word assassin is derived). Until Mongol commander Halaku Khan destroyed their mountain hidout, they were a terror among Muslim rulers of the day.
Ismail Ax can be interpreted as the new incarnation of the original one.
parsuram
Posted by: parsuram | April 19, 2007 6:03 AM
Okay, so I playing with this and what Cho's message was an anagram? I-S-M-A-I-L A-X. I came up with ISLAM XIA. Islam is
self-explanatory, but I looked up XIA, and it's a Chinese term refer to a "righteous person." It is one "who uses their armed expertise to protect the innocent and right social unfairness or injustice."
This is curious as he did say he was doing this to, "die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people."The article goes on to say, "A close equivalence of xiá to the English world can be found in Robin Hood, frequently identified by the Chinese as a "xiá-robber"—one with his own morally justifiable code of
conduct despite being a law-breaker. Superheroes such as Batman are also called xiá in Chinese translation.” Maybe he thought was the Islamic superhero. The robin hood righting the wrongs of the world for the little people.
Sounds similar. Just a theory. The full link to the site is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xia_(philosophy)
Posted by: Jeremiah | April 19, 2007 7:06 AM
found this today... makes the most sense... click the text for the source* the actions of Cho Seung Hui may lie in the final cryptic message he left behind, written in red ink on his arm and simply saying, "ISMAIL AX'.
According to reports from South Korean Buddhist authorities, the name written on the arm of Cho Seung Hui, 'ISMAIL AX', is an anagram for SALAMI XI, and as deciphered according to the ancient texts of the unique Buddhism-Shamanic religion as practiced only in ancient Korea.
The meaning of SALAMI comes from the Italian verb salare, meaning 'to salt', and is a reference to salting the earth, and which refers to the practice of spreading salt on fields to make them incapable of being used for crop-growing.
This was done in ancient times at the end of some wars as an extremely punitive scorched earth tactic.
The Latin symbol for the number 11 (XI) is the reference used by Cho Seung Hui to signify his 'authority' to 'Salt the Earth' as this is the number ascribed by both ancient and modern numerologists alike to great artists, religious leaders, prophets, and leading figures in history, and is considered to be the 'highest' of all numbers.
*Blog Hero editorial note: I've seen a number of questionable articles from Pravda over the years, so take this with a grain of salt. And the content of some of the site is questionable unless you're a teenage male, in which case you may love it.
Posted by: brandon | April 19, 2007 10:04 AM
What about the book Ishmael?
The main character is Abel LomaX and he is taught by a gorilla named Ishmael. I know it is a stretch -but the book has some interesting tie ins in terms of classifying humans as takers and leavers.
Just a thought
Posted by: Jim Caler | April 19, 2007 10:19 AM
I went to grade school with him.
Fairfax County, where we grew up, is a very wealthy county. He was more on the poor side of our community.
I'm going to dig up some of my old literary magazines and see if he published anything in them. It was a small school...I'm thinking he did.
Posted by: Jess | April 19, 2007 11:57 AM
In the classic 1982 Bergman film Fanny & Alexander, Ismael is a mysterious angel-like creature who guides the hero (Alexander) to will the death of his stepfather.
The androgynous character Ismael is from a Jewish family which is steeped in mysticism - is apparently mad and is constantly kept locked in his secured room.
In a horrifying sequence Ismael induces Alexander to embrace his ill-will and psychically cause the horrible death of his cruel and domineering clergyman stepfather.
I just happened to watch the movie last night and was struck by the coincidence.
Posted by: brooklynspo | April 19, 2007 12:46 PM
Hey, stumbled across this blog looking for information regarding "ismail ax"- good to see people are objectively compiling information.
I agree with Matt - What if Ax Ismail is literally just "axis mail"? There are several places online that reference that as the name of a mail client or a forum... maybe Cho was leading us to more information?
for example: "Email to SMS conversion for remote mailboxes is one of the additional PushMail services made possible by the AxisMail Platform. The Email (HTML or plain text) appears as an SMS with the sender, subject and the beginning of the Email message. The service has multilingual support, with all source encoding converted to UCS2. The SMS message length is configurable (1-4 SMS messages per Email). In addition, the service has smart filtering according to time, sender, recipients and key words in the message subject or body" - from www.celltrex.com/products-pushmail.html
Anyone know if Cho had a cellphone?
Posted by: Jared | April 19, 2007 1:23 PM
Look what the DaVinci code has done eh!
Posted by: Rushell | April 19, 2007 4:24 PM
is it possible he was scammed out of some money? There is a known scam with the name AK Ismail.
Search on google: here is part
From: "Mr.Adnan A.K.Ismail" (may be fake)
Reply-To: 8441158@excite.com
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 18:36:26 +0400
Subject: From The Desk of Mr.Adnan A.K.Ismail
From The Desk of Mr.Adnan A.K.Ismail
Manager National Bank of Dubai Abu Dhabi
branch Dubai United Arab Emirate (U.A.E.)
Email: adnan_ismailak@yahoo.co.nz
I am Mr.Adnan A.K.Ismail Branch Manager National Bank of Dubai Abu Dhabi branch, I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.A British Oil consultant and contractor with the Kruger Gold Company,Mr. Raymond Beck made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at US$12,000,000.00 (Twelve Million United State Dollars) in my branch. Upon maturity,
Posted by: tom difiore | April 19, 2007 6:56 PM
I'll be honest, I haven't read all of the above postings, but I did run across something online stating a psychologist named A.K. Ismail - perhaps he was seeking treatment, or referring to him for help, mis-writing the K as an X.
Who knows really. We've given this lunatic enough attention!
Posted by: MappyB | April 19, 2007 8:27 PM
Brooklynspo's post strikes me as possibly significant in that that film bears similar theme's to Cho's "Theatrical Piece" which can be found on the smoking gun.
I don't believe Cho had a stepfather, but he seems to hold a lot of resentment for the idea.
Posted by: Rain | April 20, 2007 12:38 AM
i typed in ISMAIL AX in youTUBE and there is a video that was posted 5 months ago by some guy that goes by the name AUTOTOM... the video takes a terroist-like view of the 9/11 events.. and its sickening.. but the name of the video is "ISMAIL AX".... not sure what the connection is, but this guy has used the word or name ismail ax before.... someone should question him...
Posted by: dorveil | April 20, 2007 1:09 AM
is he making reference to his brothers and sisters in nationality? Referring to those who had the same situation as him (poor family background, uprooted from childhood home, live in strange country where people hate you because of what you are rather than who you are..etc etc.)
He was bullied in school (and at VT) since his english was not good, and he suffered from low self esteem, so the people around him, rich middle class americans ("your trust fund weasn't enough...your mercedes wasn't enough...your vodka and cognac wasn't enough").
I blame society for (a). not noticing his tendanies towards violence and not doing anything about it, but (b). for not reacting well to him.
I doubt this killing was grounded in ANY religious teaching, islam or otheriwse.
And as for ismail ax being a message to his henchmen? I doubt that he had much in the way of social contact since he was in a coed dorm, with no friends, apprenty, according to bbc's reports.
Thats my two of your american cents.
Posted by: B+ | April 20, 2007 6:07 AM