FBI rejects Taliban US attack claim

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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/04/20094414274878141.html

FBI rejects Taliban US attack claim

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has dismissed claims made by the

Pakistan Taliban that it was responsible for an attack in the state of New York

in which a gunman killed 13 people.

Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, had claimed in a phone

call to Al Jazeera that he had ordered the shooting in which a man, believed to

be a Vietnamese immigrant, opened fire at an immigration centre.

Mehsud had said the attack was a direct response to the drone attacks carried

out by US forces on Pakistani tribal areas and a second attacker had managed to

escape.

But Kolko, an FBI spokesman, said on Saturday: " Based on the evidence,

we can firmly discount that claim. "

At least 13 people died after the assailant went on a shooting spree at the

centre where aid is given to immigrants, before he shot himself dead.

Al Jazeera reporter Saloomey said the gunman is believed to have been a

42-year-old immigrant who had recently lost his job and was distressed after

being teased and humiliated over his poor English language skills.

Heavily armed police, backed by commandos and FBI agents, surrounded the

American Civic Association building in Binghampton, northern New York, on Friday

after the incident was first reported.

Hostage reports

The man had entered the building in Binghamton, about 240 km northwest of New

York city, and shot two receptionists, ph Zikuski, the Binghampton police

chief, said.

" It obviously was premeditated,'' said Zikuski.

He said the gunman had blocked the centre's rear exit with his car.

" He made sure nobody could escape,' he said.

One receptionist was killed, but another pretended to be dead, then crawled to a

desk and called authorities, he said.

Zhanar Tokhtabayeva, from Kazakhstan, said she was in an English class when she

heard a shot and her teacher screamed for everyone to hide in a storage room.

" I heard the shots, every shot. I heard no screams, just silence, shooting,''

she said.

" I was thinking, when will this stop? I was thinking that my life was

finished.''

The American Civic Association helps immigrants in the Binghamton area with

citizenship applications, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Shooting incidents have become increasingly common in the US, where guns are

widely available and the rights to own them are fiercely debated.

In 2007, in one of the worst incidents, a student went on a gun rampage, killing

32 people at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.