Author: Douglas Montero and Stefan
C. Friedman
Publication: New York Post
Date: January 16, 2005
URL: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/38704.htm
The father of a murdered New Jersey
family was threatened for making anti-Muslim remarks online - and the gruesome
quadruple slaying may have been the hateful retaliation, sources told The
Post yesterday.
Hossam Armanious, 47, who along
with his wife and two daughters was found stabbed to death in his Jersey
City home early Friday, would regularly debate religion in a Middle Eastern
chat room, one source said.
Armanious, an Egyptian Christian,
was well known for expressing his Coptic beliefs and engaging in fiery
back-and-forth with Muslims on the Web site paltalk.com.
He "had the reputation for being
one of the most outspoken Egyptian Christians," said the source, who had
close ties to the family.
The source, who had knowledge of
the investigation, refused to specify the anti-Muslim statement. But he
said cops told him they were looking into the exchanges as a possible motive.
The married father of two had recently
been threatened by Muslim members of the Web site, said a fellow Copt and
store clerk who uses the chat room.
"You'd better stop this bull----
or we are going to track you down like a chicken and kill you," was the
threat, said the clerk, who was online at the time and saw the exchange.
