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Old June 7th, 2011 #46
littlefieldjohn
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Join Date: May 2009
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"The Uneasy Death of Riad Hamad" (2008)



Hamad, who was originally from Lebanon but had lived in Austin for more than 30 years, taught business education and keyboarding at Small Middle School, was a graduate student at UT (already with several degrees), and was very active in Austin-based charity work aimed at easing living conditions in the occupied territories of Palestine – most specifically via the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund, through which he sold Palestinian crafts to raise funds for destitute Palestinian families.
He was also very outspoken about international politics, objecting strongly to Israeli and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Partly as a consequence, he had been investigated by federal authorities, who asked questions of some of his neighbors, and in February, the FBI and Internal Revenue Service raided his South Austin home and seized 40 boxes of materials related to his charity work, reportedly pursuant to an investigation of alleged "wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering." Although no charges had been brought, the raid greatly disrupted Hamad's charity work.


"Park-goers who saw the body said the death did not look accidental. They said the man's face was wrapped with duct tape, and his arms appeared to be tied in front of his body."

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2008-05-09/621848/