Dearborn, Michigan, police authorities are investigating what may have inspired Houssein A. Zorkot, a third-year medical student at nearby Wayne State University, to carry an AK-47 assault rifle to a public park on the evening of September 8. Police arrested Zorkot after struggling with the 26-year-old. According to WXYZ-TV reporter Glenn Zimmerman, Houssein was tasered by the arresting officers at Hemlock Park in the suburbs of Detroit when they were summoned to investigate. Houssein was found at night wearing dark clothes and camouflage makeup.
Houssein, a native of Lebanon, remains in custody under a $1million bond and is charged with firearms violations. He will face a hearing on September 21.
Zorkot maintains a website in which he offers photos of himself and family members in Lebanon, along with photos of the now-deceased Iranian strongman and Muslim mullah, the Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini, as well as leaders of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. On the website, Houssein describes himself as a medical student and includes photos apparently taken in Michigan. Houssein says on his website that “The role of a medical doctor is to heal, to understand, and to not only sympathize but also to embody a great deal of empathy towards his patients. He identifies his heroes as the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Ali, and the Imam Husain: the heroes of Shia Islam.
Based in Lebanon, Hezbollah draws support from adherents of Shia Islam as well as the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hezbollah has been blamed for numerous terror attacks against US, French, and Israeli targets. For example, the 1983 Beirut bombing attacks that killed 300 US and French peacekeeping troops, as well as the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina that killed 84 civilian men, women, and children.
Dearborn police Chief Michael Celeski verified to the WXYZ reporter that Houssein was indeed bearing an AK-47 firearm, and wearing dark clothing. Celeski also confirmed that FBI investigators are now looking into the case as well. Dearborn mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. issued a statement in which he asked that all questions about the case be sent directly to his office so the public should not draw any conclusions over the proximity of the arrest to the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 Muslim terrorist attacks. Dearborn is home to one of the largest communities of Muslims in the
Martin Barillas is a former US diplomat, who also worked as a democracy advocate and election observer in Latin America.
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