Cab Driver Says Stabber Yelled, "I Have To Put You Down!"

Classic racial hoax, perpetrated by yet another spoiled liberal kid trying to stir up sympathy for the pro-Ground Zero mosque crowd. He works for Park51, enuf said.

Fact: 69% of Americans oppose the Ground Zero mosque. No, sorry, Gothamist, that doesn't make them all "Islamophobes", it makes them realists.

It is said by his lawyers Friday morning Enright will

be pleading a Psychiatric defense, nice way

for a Middle class kid to, cop out of this.

Next we might hear"The debil made me do it".

Judging by Enright's facial expression in that first pic, it looks like his lawyer is explaining "prison shower safety procedures" to him.....

I guess when I taught at SVA we never had students

that would were violent in any manner usually they

came to school asleep or to get sleep.

Having a drunk at 6pm ,wow!

I wonder if he might (as he was imbedded with the

US Marines in Iraq )use the"Manchurian Candidate"defense.

One never knows.

I see a mental illness defense coming.

The dude is obviously a racist, the fact that he decided to study film does not make him less of a Fkup.

How undereducated and totally ethnocentric one has to be to think Muslims are "ungrateful for the help they were being offered"?!

Really , like this type of statement has no supremacist undertones at all.

Sick dumb ass.

did he bring bootstraps with him? and yell out Accountability! what happened to his Tea bag supporter on his facebook page?

What he did is bad. He has no history of doing shit like this. It's OBVIOUS to ask and be curious why he decided to assault the cabbie, when again he has no history of violence, he's not on parole, etc., He'll go through the courts now and suffer the consequences.

The guy is to me obviously mentally unstable/ill. That IS NOT to forgive him or go easy on him.

How many people have been seriously assaulted, stabbed, shot, beaten, murdered in NYC alone over the past week? Over the past year? At one point in the late 80's-early 90's NYC was averaging 2000(!) murders a year. That should NEVER have been allowed to escalate to that point, and because many responsible people in authority (and voters) refused to take decisive action to stop the insane amount of violence, thousands of people got murdered, assaulted, raped, etc., When you have the INSANE level of violence in some American cities, draconian measures need to be taken to stem the bloodshed. Anybody who opposes taking necessary harsh actions to stem the OBSCENE level of violence in some cities and neighborhoods is guilty of allowing/looking the other way while someone gets shot,stabbed,beaten,murdered,raped,etc.,

Fact is, every criminal has the story of how he ended up committing a crime.

I'm sure we could locate some horrible experience or traumatic event in nearly every man and woman's life up in Rikers or Sing Sing. But it doesn't make them less guilty of their crime. People are born, shitty stuff happens in life, and short of any major mental or chemical imbalances, people have the ability to control their actions.

Point is: people have weird, fucked up, and shitty lives. But it doesn't mean that's an excuse for hurting anyone else. Dude decided to drink the scotch, he decided to carry a knife, decided to start asking the cabbie questions, and ultimately, because of probably a hundred different reasons, he decided to stab the guy.

Everyone seems so confused by the idea that he volunteered for a cause when secretly opposed its actual agenda. What about all the Republican politicians who bash homosexuality and then get caught with another guy.

how many "cristians" go to church to "clean" their souls, yet LOATHE the poor!?

He most likely thought of himself as working undercover with the "enemy" liberals.

Well that's because they are secretly gay and ashamed of themselves because their sector of society makes them think it's bad.

So dougboy was pretending to care about peace because we was a closeted violent person? I think he saw some sh*t overseas that made him snap and he decided it was his duty to take out some cab driver instead of joining the armed forces and helping his fellow Americans in that capacity.

I would like to take a moment and thank the stabber for demonstrating that not all art students are liberals.

This is going to sound crazy, and I'll be the first to admit it, but as I was reading the write up of this story in the Village Voice ( http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/08/was_the_muslim.php ) and this guy's travel and filming in Afghanistan with troops, his involvement in a group that seemingly is against what he believes in and even his quotes during the attacks "This is checkpoint motherfucker. I have to put you down. You have to bring Abdullah to this checkpoint, I have to bring him down, too,” I couldn't help but think could this guy be a CIA agent that got drunk out of his mind and snapped. I know it sounds crazy but how many kids his age get to hang out with troops filming a movie? Who would even approve such a thing? I see the picture of him with a flack jacket and I wonder was he filming or training? I can't imagine that the U.S. military is just allowing anybody to trail them and record them without knowing how this footage will be used. I'm as confused as everyone else by this guy's actions but I think if he is a CIA agent, which we'll never know for sure, it would explain a lot.

I know, I know ... it sounds crazy.

what a dumb and clumsy CIA operative

this sound to me like a scared with the world confused white boy that travel for first time ever to a war zone to then conclude that the whole middle east is full with "ungrateful peasants": this is nothing more that one American provincial extremist...

You're probably right but I just can't imagine that just anybody can decide they want to make a film about Afghanistan and they're going to just let him right in. How would you even go about that? Do you write to the State Department and they just grant you permission and fly you out to hang out with their soldiers? What if you turn around and make it an anti-war, anti-American film? I mean once you have the footage there's no way to control how the person is going to present it or edit it. Why would they take that chance with just anybody?

But like I said I know it was kind of outlandish to think that, but one never knows.

I think you watch way too much tv.

Naaa, I barely watch TV.

Too much internet definitely!

More likely a wanna-be, especially considering he was using a camera the whole time, never got to see any 'action'.

Prolly bragging to his friends about the stuff he'd seen.

Beer muscles + war stories + wanna-be = drunk asshole.

Either way, cutting on the throat should be attempted murder. Lotta jail.

CIA operatives in Afghanistan are pretty much without exception ex-military. They're not 21-year old ex-film students.

I disagree. They have to come in all sizes, shapes, and colors and from every background and it would not be the first time they used college students.

Here is a CIA college recruiting site:

https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-opportunities/index.html

Look at this young lady, who would ever think she was part of the CIA?

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2010/01/08/92328918/index.xml

Also look at this:

http://www.cia-on-campus.org/witanek.html

I just can't imagine that the U.S. government is going to allow just any college kid to follow them around and film them because they're barely even allowing reporters to follow them on the ground.

I feel crazy even suggesting it, but it would actually make sense.

If he's CIA, we're in trouble.

So he's like Alias or Nikita? Let's hope he didn't have to wear any skimpy outfits.

Awwwww, poor widdle fwat boy wooks newvous.

You know what would make me look scared shitless? If someone started stabbing me with a leatherman while I was driving.

Smell ya later, you chubby ginger.

Waiting for the gaggle of neocon assholes on this site to chime in. Paging Snickerdoodle, etypical, Ides, jchez, Rødgrødmedfløde, et al.

+ 1000000000000000

They go on and on and on and on and on and on about credibility and casting doubt. Here's their chance. I wouldn't expect any less from cowards.

Jpeditor, billiamsburg, what happened to Snoopy?

I think Snoopy got bored after too many of his jokes got no response. Either that or he was thrown out of the library.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who pictures many of the more flamboyant commenters doing their work from public libraries.

Although I think Felix uses an iPad, from her perch in the trees watching the 59th st carriage horses.

this is a tough one to spin. last night he was a "lefty", but that won't hold.

sucks to his ass-mar!

oh man , he is very Piggy, nice one.

Cue giant precariously leaning boulder...

has Greg Ball come out against the stabber?

michael enright kinda looks like a middle-aged lesbian.

He's going to be a middle aged lesbian by the time his cellmates get through with him!

And John Denver

He looks like he is terrified of the black man talking to him

And that's his LAWYER. Wait until he hits general population.

There's gotta be more to the story, just doesn't seem to add up.

The story doesn't seem to add up because there isn't any M.O...yet. He did it. I don't know what happened, but for now the man is an attempted murderer. I want to understand but yes, sadly, because he doesn't fit my pre-concieved notions of the type of person who would do this...

Then again, what about that Boston Med Student who murdered a prostitute? Looks can be deceiving...

What doesn't add up? If you're talking about the fact that he volunteered with Intersections, maybe during a more lucid moment he thought doing so would help him deal with his Islamophobia. Or maybe he was just volunteering to pad his resume and it just happened to be with Intersections.

Oh I would expect the outburst from some far-right neo-nazi or other hate member, not a pudgy white kid that makes movies. He doesn't seem like a testosterone filled dude...

That makes it a little more unsettling, doesn't it? If it was some neo-nazi skinhead covered in swastika tattoos, you'd just say, he was from the fringes of society, crazies gotta be crazy. But this guy looks positively normal. Blame it on the surroundings and society, and you're blaming your own surroundings and society. That's not a comfortable thing to do.

The true far-right neo-nazis in this country will not *ever* set foot in Manhattan if they can help it.

When those folks get angry, they don't pull shit like this. Rather, they withdraw farther, pray harder, restock their underground bunkers, and do some extra practice on the firing range. In other words, they prepare for Armageddon and/or 'the race war' -- and they are exceptionally well-prepared.

Whether that apocalyptic vision remains a figment of their fevered imaginations -- or whether they eventually attempt to instigate it themselves -- is another matter, however.

I want to hear from the NYC co-workers, neighbors and friends. not some senior citizen upstate who know this kid when he was 3.

and, lot's of people changed since 9/11, some became unfunny, see Dennis Miller and his ilk and many others.

A very sad and fucked up story. Hopefully more details will emerge about the perpetrator.

And I wish a speedy recovery to the driver. It is sad knowing he won't be able to take fares without thinking of the incident in the future.

Every time: "He always seemed like suck a great guy." "I'm so shocked." "He was the guy you could always go to with a problem."

Sure. Sure he was. He just had a wee bit of trouble with booze. Just a few brushes with the law for drinking too much. No big deal. Happens to everybody.

Clearly, this guy was was a mess. Only a matter of time before somebody got in his way. Hope the cabbie can recover and resume his life. Hope the nut's friends and neighbors can take their heads out of their asses.

Well you know how it is with all those "Aspiring Filmmakers." Living high on the hog off all those government-subsidized loans, getting drunk and high every night and basically doing nothing.

I wish I was actually kidding.

Aww, poor guy is terrified and trying to cope? That must be how the innocent cab driver felt when this son of a bitch started STABBING HIM IN THE THROAT. What a dirtbag, I hope he rots.

this is so bizarre. michael enright has the resume of a decent human being, but low and behold. white male american anger is a pathetic, unjustified and scary thing.

get well soon, ahmed.

Agreed.

Sounds like this guy had some serious stress issues from his Afghan experience and heavy drinking exacerbated it.

yeah, poor thing. we should probably just let him go and call it even, after all the muslim was asking for it.

Not really you flailing retard. But it is interesting as to what the root could have been for this seemingly uncharacteristic act

indeed, Professor Kazubes, its all very intellectual at this point.

i'm sure Sharif would love to sit around sipping a latte with you and discuss Enright's mindset and psychological history, you know, really get to understand what made him feel all stabby towards a complete stranger. he'll contact you as soon as the gaping wounds in his face and neck heal up.

Your comment made my day.

yes, it'd be better to NOT TRY to put our finger on the issues that lead to this idiot snapping like a delicious pocky snack filled with yucky hate creme filling. this way, when it happens next time, we can throw our hands up in the air in bewilderment yet again and wonder what's to be done with all these stabby, fat white kids. being curious about what's going on in a violent criminal's head DOES NOT make his crime acceptable or erase the wrong that was done to the victim.

what is the mystery here my thick friend? his diary, comments, and actions are fairly conclusive. he stabbed someone and should go to jail.

do you also dive deeply into the minds of other violent criminals or just the middle class white ones?

maybe you should be considering instead how the cab driver will deal with his day-to-day life after suffering such a horrific act by his fellow man.

i'm not sympathizing with the perp. my sympathies are entirely with ahmed sharif. that doesn't make me less interested in fat guy goes nutzoid.

some stabbers are interesting, others aren't. i find this one interesting. i understand that ahmed sharif is the victim and i sympathize with him as the victim of a disturbing act of violence. and i didn't at any point blame him. and whatever reason enright might have -- whatever might have made him snap -- doesn't change how heinous his actions were.

please don't stab me, hotstepper. there's just so much pathetic in enright's face; it's amazing he even owned a sharp object, much less stabbed someone with it.

Of course, he kept a diary. those hate thoughts needs pen to paper, can't just keep them inside.

I say look to the diary.

Oh, he definitely has a manifesto somewhere. Perhaps he fancies himself a Big Bad Army Man without actually being in the service?

You read my mind with that one. Fat boy worshipped the marines he hung out with and was too scared to enlist so he got drunk and stabbed a Muslim cabbie in the neck instead.

well, i hope that doesn't happen. but imagine being the fat artsy kid tagging along with a bunch of marines in a country heavily populated with violent religious extremists -- as well as some regular religious folks. i think you probably convince yourself of a lot of things, just trying to seem tough.

it's not an excuse. enright will get plenty punished. although i would not be surprised to see some sort of public forgiveness from his victim.

yeah, trailing those marines in afghanistan definitely spun this dude.

He worked on a film there, not was not in the military nor did any fighting.

Sounds more like he got into the poppy seeds there.

I would imagine there's a fair amount of stress just trying to live everyday life in Afghanistan; I don't think you have to be in the military to get that.

He looks super scared in all these photos. Almost makes me feel bad for him - but then I see the photo of what he did to the cabbie. Geez.

I definitely agree with you. He looks scared to death and the point where he blurted out about "This is checkpoint motherfucker. I have to put you down. You have to bring Abdullah to this checkpoint, I have to bring him down, too." makes me think something unhinged in him over there. I feel bad for both actually.

If some loony christians with a religious agenda were the perpetrators of 9/11, would people be out there stabbing christians and opposing ground zero churches?

I'm willing to bet a sizeable portion of the Gothamist commenter crowd will say that the Muslim guy asked for it.

You obviously don't know the Gothamist commenter crowd. Most of them would agree with the Imam that America is to blame for 9/11.

Yep. *facepalm*

You really think you are some damn patriot don'tcha?

No one thinks 9/11 is America's fault. We just don't blame EVERY Muslim person for the actions of some radicals who use their religion to perpetuate heinous acts.

JUST LIKE people who kill abortion doctors, protest gay funerals and that whole Focus on the Family craphole isn't indicative of all Christians.

Christ on a cracker. How hard is this to understand?

NO. There is a big difference. The muslim guy was likely *BORN* muslim. He can't get out of his religion without incurring the death penalty. Therefore he is innocent.

>> He can't get out of his religion without incurring the death penalty. >>

That's not true in America. This is not Pakistan. That's why people come here, to escape that.

Nah, just Ides of March.

I wonder what percentage of the NYS prison population is Muslim? Maybe he can ask while he's there.

"filthy murderers without a conscience"

an example of how much one may become like the perceived enemy when blinded by ideological hatred.

rot in jail doughboy.

Yep.

Michael Enright is not going to fare well in the NY state prison system. And we will continue to reap what the loony right wing has sown in this country.

His ass is going to have more patrons than Park51 ever will, judging by that sad boy face.

Yes, I'm pretty sure he'd be the wet dream of many a greasy 300 lb black guy...

I'm sure greasy 300 lbs inmates of all races will have at him....

Im waiting for the Sarah Palin tweet. RELOAD !!

Yeah really. I am willing to bet this was 95% drunken bat-shit crazyness and 5% hate crime.

That won't stop the news media echo chamber from making this political.

I mean really they guy volunteers for a interfaith tolerence org then goes and stabs muslims? I think he has some serious issues that probably have more to do with daddy than with Allah.

In vino veritas.

>> Yeah really. I am willing to bet this was 95% drunken bat-shit crazyness and 5% hate crime. >>

Oh, I disagree. Being drunk doesn't make you suddenly racist. Just brings it out. If I were a cabbie I would keep that partition closed, even if the fare was a fat white-boy film student from Westchester. You just never know. SO much for profiling!

"I am willing to bet this was 95% drunken bat-shit crazyness and 5% hate crime."

Yeah, that would explain why he has a personal diary filled with pages of "anti-Muslim comments." He only writes when he's drunk.

Hitchens does. So did Kesey, although in the latter case, he was a lot more than drunk.

Yep. As noted after Mel Gibson's meltdown, alcohol merely loosens the tongue. It doesn't make anyone say anything he doesn't really feel.

Darn shame, really. I was excused from jury duty only a few weeks ago. I would have liked to help put this guy away.

He probably volunteers for a interfaith tolerence org for the same sadistic reasons that Ted Bundy worked at a depression/suicide hotline.

He is a scumbag. No sympathy whatsoever. He looks terrified? Good, maybe it's because he realizes that an act that despicable isn't going to be swept under the rug even by the predominately white judicial system.

I wasn't sympathizing, or saying hes not a scumbag. This guy definitely needs to be locked away.

Um, I was agreeing with you...