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Rashid Baz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rashid Baz (1966-) is a Lebanese-born immigrant and convicted murderer who shot and killed 16-year old Ari Halberstam on March 1, 1994 while driving on the ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge (re-named the Ari Halberstam ramp in 1995).
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While driving on the approach ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge from the FDR Drive Baz took out two 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistols and fired on a van carrying 15 members of the Lubavitcher sect of Judaism, who were returning from a visit to the hospital where the Lubavitcher Rebbe had undergone minor surgery. Ari Halberstam was shot in the head and died four days later in the hospital; three other students were seriously wounded in the attack.
Baz' defense team portrayed him as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his childhood exposure to violence during the Lebanese Civil War. They argued further that Baz' actions were triggered by the killing of 29 Muslims just 4 days earlier by Baruch Goldstein in Hebron. The jury rejected this argument, and on December 1, 1994 Baz was convicted on one count of murder, 14 counts of attempted murder, and one count of criminal use of a firearm.
On January 18, 1995 Baz received a term of 141 years in person with no chance of parole. Judge Harry Rothwax stated that Baz deserved the "most severe punishment."[1]
Despite the conviction of Baz, the Halberstam family and others wanted the case reclassified as a terrorist attack and wanted a further investigation to probe any terrorist links to Baz. On August 26, 1999 the Justice Department and FBI agreed to open an investigation into Baz. The investigation did not yield any new leads connected to terrorist organizations but the Justice Department did formally reclassify the incident as an act of terrorism.[1]
- ^ James, George. "Bridge Gunman Gets 141-Year Term" New York Times 19 January 1995, B3.