Comments

1
Mohammedan? I guess they don't celebrate diversity?
2
So they left you guys a voice mail telling you he was a person of interest... Why did you guys ask repeatedly if it was ok to publish his name, and why did they refuse to comment? Is that standard? Weird? Either end of it, do you guys usually ask permission to publish that sort of detail, and do they usually say "go ahead" or "please don't"?
3
Excellent followup. I give Slog and The Stranger a lot of shit from time to time, but this is exactly how a story like this needs to be reported. No insinuations, good contact with the police, and just the facts. Bravo!
4
wow. this will get interesting.
5
Has any other news organization published the name of this guy?

Jesus Christ, this is going to get ugly.
6
What #3 says.
7
@2: It gives the SPD a chance to give a compelling reason not to publish (if they were staking him out or something).
8
it sounds like an isolated incident, and what they're probably looking for is more corroborative evidence that he's a person with a mental illness rather than an agent of some hate group.
9
Benghazi in platforms.....
He only wants to embrace your culture....
And to be your friend forever....
10
@9 irrelevant. You have no data. Only presumptions.
11
Nice piece of journalism, Dominic. Well done.
12
"Only presumptions."

Of course, since he's a Mohammedan you'll give him the benefit of the doubt like all guilty white Seattle liberals.

BTW I called him as a 'moslem' two weeks ago.
13
I'm not sure why this guy is so hard to find. I did a simple search on Google, found a number of things with him and a picture from his Facebook, his car was given a ticket and towed. Found him here: http://pilots-airmen.findthedata.org/l/8… and here with a picture (sans beard) http://www.911media.org/news-item/iraqi-… Broadway assault sentencing: A former Capitol Hill resident with frequent brushes with the law and north Broadway businesses in the last year including violations of no contact orders and this May DUI and assault case was sentenced Thursday for an assault against a man outside the Deluxe in July 2013. Musab Masmari, 30, will serve part of a suspended sentence in jail and was ordered to make no contact with his victim and to undergo a mental health evaluation. Masmari’s defense lawyer told the court his client planned to appeal the decision. Not entire sure this is the guy, but it's very close to the posted pictures by the police.
14
Figures... the police held onto pictures and video for weeks and had this guy in their 2013 violent perpetrator mugshot book the whole time.
15
@10 - life is hard enough when you belong here
16
What value is it to even mention a person's name that that it this point it is not clear that he is indeed a person of interest, much less a suspect?
17
I looked at the published video over and over. It's really hard to tell if it's him. In some ways it really looks like him and from a couple of angles it just doesn't. The lighting is not very good. It is hard to tell. The body structure, size and movement looks like him, but hair baldness or lack there of and jaw does not look like his on the video at every angle. Also, it's hard to say why he would target a gay bar/club. I think he has been in a destructive mood and also suffering a mental illness and possibly doing drugs but I discussed it with someone else and we agree, we don't think he would target a gay club, it's not personal enough target for him. Just my input.
18
"Seattle resident Musab Masmari, a Libyan/US citizen, was also in attendance to act as a cultural ambassador on behalf of 911 Media Arts Center for the Arabic speaking visitors." *http://www.911media.org/news-item/iraqi-…
19
@9: "Benghazi"

Good god you Beck-heads are intolerable.
20
You idiots! Does no one know the song about "Bengali in platforms, he only wants to embrace your culture and be your friend forever"? Morrissey! Hello, anyone? #9, I totally got your joke! good one!
21
#15: "Shelve your Western plans..."
22
@21 -- Slog ain't what it once was. Then again, neither is Moz.
23
LET'S GIT 'IM!! WHARE'S MAH PITCHFORK??
24
Benghazi, you say? Steve Doocy will be all over this one.
25
I guess I don't understand why the reporter doesn't understand why police don't blab out the name of a suspect in a criminal investigation. I can think of several reasons, the police don't want to alert him and cause him to bolt, or start covering up his actions, and building a false alibi?! Another reason might be you need to be sure you name the correct person so others don't try to go vigilante on the wrong person?! I think it's called be responsible, even though you're anxious to identify and arrest a criminal quickly. The people's right to know is not paramount when you're investigating a crime.
26
@ 25

If Mr. Masmari has prima facie exculpatory evidence to counter the allegations that he is a "person of interest" in the attempted arson, then it is the responsibility of this newspaper and other media organizations to report this, if this report that he is a suspect in the attempted arson is a very large mistake.

If the police didn't want Mr. Masmari to be named, then they would be pretty forceful in asking Mr. Holden and the Stranger not to publish it as setback to the investigation.

The most likely scenario is that the police asked the other bar owner to go forward to the media to identify the person of interest, because there are a bunch of people who want this guy questioned, even though there is still a chance he could be innocent/mistaken identity....
27
"Benghazi, you say? Steve Doocy will be all over this one."

Alabama you say? Slog would be all over this one.
28
@20: Derp on my end. Sorry, I rarely hear "Benghazi" without it coming from the lips of a mouthbreather.
29
@20 Finally, someone gets me! Thanks!
30
This shithead has been a Capitol Hill fixture for several years, and his behavior has been getting steadily more confrontational and violent. And one thing that the Slog leaves out is where he works... a gas station.

NB: The victim of the assault he was sentenced for on Jan 16 is an acquaintance of mine.
31
I'm still unclear how someone can just walk into any establishment with a gas can and not be questioned/refused entry??? I mean really... I once went to a straight bar and they wouldn't even let me in becuz I had a tank top on.
32
Be all these swirling theories as they may, and despite what vibes SPD is letting on, no other local news outlet has broadcast this. News editors sit on releasing names all the time, but The Stranger has never been known for discretion.
33
SPD is too busy beating up black kids to respond to this. they'll get around to it when they are finished.
34
@33 -- Ed Murray is our new mayor. You can stop pretending to care about black kids now.
35
Jan 16th was last week - he was at his sentencing. His workplace is known.

Either he's been contacted already, or he's hightailed it.
36
I think SPD acts like they have someone on the terror list. Dude has/had a pilot's license and is Arab and he allegedly has created a terror act in the fire. Those are like massive puzzle pieces for SPD to start acting all CIA/FBI on the dude...even if he's just a local with some mental issues.
37
Obviously they are trying to protect the muslim community by not releasing information on the man. Without a doubt in my mind he is some Islamic religious zealot. they murder gays in those countries that go by Islamic law.
38
Dominic, I generally appreciate your thorough reporting -- particularly on issues related to SPD. But it is a bit odd that you would publish the name of a SUSPECT based on hearsay . It would seem to me that American Journalists seem to be the only ones who feel comfortable publishing people's names based on hearsay and rumor -- that could stoke anger, resentment, and even outside confrontation! Particularly given that he is not in custody (and thereby a true suspect and under police protection) -- this type of reporting opens him up to vigilantism. I'm as concerned about the arson as any activist on cap. hill. It's scary. It was wrong. But -- publishing people's names on such flimsy evidence as "Well, it looks sort of like.. a guy I once knew at another bar.. based on this SUPER BLURRY / SIDE ANGLE image." Not so much news as ... tabloid. I'm really surprised (or not) that your editors let you publish this. Poor form stranger. Poor form. "— Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
— Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
— Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed." So much for journalistic code of ethics!! http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
39
Does anyone know if this man has a history of anti-gay violence, or are all of his former violent actions applied to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation? I'm just curious.
40
@39 I knew Musab. No. He wasn't a hateful person. He wasn't always this way. He was thoughtful, witty, and compassionate. But something happened. It wasn't long after the rebellion in Libya. He began drinking and using cannabis more. He started having more and more brushes with the law. He was increasingly isolated (most of whom still live in Libya) from his family and his girlfriend left him. He began to get more overtly religious and very impulsive and angry. He would act out and then apologize. It's clearly a mental issue and he seemed to have very little control. A pattern I have seen many times before. This is all heartbreaking.
41
@32: You sure you're not confusing a "person of interest" for a suspect? They're not holding out on publishing stories on this because they care about his interests, you know.
42
The image looks like the guy in Facebook under the name Musab Masmari https://www.facebook.com/musab.masmari/p…
Could be someone else though.
43
@41: No, I'm not. Then read @38.

The Stranger should care about his interests as we could be talking about an innocent man here.

44
Holden has a grudge with the SPD, don't expect unbiased "reporting". This guy is a person of interest, not a suspect. And if he finds or ends up with a good lawyer, Holden and The Stranger might want to consider doing the same.
45
@43/38: The Stranger isn't talking about a Suspect. They are talking about a named-by-SPD Person of Interest.
46
I mean, they release this information because the SPD believes that there may be more information about him or someone in his circle that may positively affect the investigation. Discussing that isn't bad journalism.
47
I knew Musab years ago. I'm gay, many of my friends are, he never voiced and acted like he had the slightest problem with us. He joined us in activities and seemed like a good guy. He seems to have started to become mentally unstable recently and has clearly continued his decline. To the best of my knowledge, he seems like someone who's become unhinged rather than a zealot carrying out some hate doctrine. That said, I haven't seen the guy in years, so I could be wrong.
48
@46 You what is completely irresponsible journalism? Naming a potential informant (Wylie) who is also business owner (Joe Bar) that had run-ins with this "person of interest" in an arson. And this "person of interest" in a an arson is on the loose. I bet Wylie isn't so thrilled about that. The Stranger should've sat on this story until he was in custody or until SPD could clarify what was going on.

Look. I'm torn. I'm one of the people who called SPD about Musab. It was gut wrenching.
49
@39 I knew Musab pretty well from the neighborhood, we would talk about philosophy, religion or current events over coffee or beer. I found him to be empathetic, compassionate and intelligent. He wasn't a zealot and he wasn't violent, he was just another nice guy in the neighborhood. The last time I saw him over this past summer, he was a different person entirely, I could see it in his eyes and mannerisms. Sad.
50
Does anybody else get the impression that this guy likely has some sort of mental illness - given the previous erratic behavior - and isn't *just* another asshole?

An asshole, sure, but a mentally ill asshole ...
51
It's going to be a GAS when the cops arrest someone else. Holden seems pretty sure, but others, including the cops apparently are not so sure. My money is on Musab lawyering up and suing The Stranger....
54
Interesting. Compare this story to Brendan Kiley's post (less than a day later) on the activist-slash-anarchist accused of vandalizing an ATM:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

The alleged arsonist has not been charged with a crime, though images of a man who resembles him appear on surveillance footage. The Stranger names the man as a person of interest, says the cops are investigating him, and goes out of its way to find witnesses (on the record and off) who speak of his erratic behavior. The story does everything but flat-out say Musab Masmari did it.

Conversely, the man in the anarchist post (Brendan McCormack) was actually charged with a crime (a prosecutor filed the charge, even if the judge declined to press). Police filed and obtained a search warrant to further an affidavit of probable cause. An investigation took place that led to a court proceeding. That's a hell of a lot more legal process than the arsonist case, if you're keeping score.

Yet Kiley ties himself in knots to undercut the case, to say the evidence is weak, that McCormack is only accused, that surveillance footage isn't evidence, that vandalism isn't violence, and that KIRO was out of line for presuming McCormack did it.

The cognitive dissonance is a bit mind-blowing.

55
Interesting. Compare this story to Brendan Kiley's post (less than a day later) on the activist-slash-anarchist accused of vandalizing an ATM:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

The alleged arsonist has not been charged with a crime, though images of a man who resembles him appear on surveillance footage. The Stranger names the man as a person of interest, says the cops are investigating him, and goes out of its way to find witnesses (on the record and off) who speak of his erratic behavior. The story does everything but flat-out say Musab Masmari did it.

Conversely, the man in the anarchist post (Brendan McCormack) was actually charged with a crime (a prosecutor filed the charge, even if the judge declined to press). Police filed and obtained a search warrant to further an affidavit of probable cause. An investigation took place that led to a court proceeding. That's a hell of a lot more legal process than the arsonist case, if you're keeping score.

Yet Kiley ties himself in knots to undercut the case, to say the evidence is weak, that McCormack is only accused, that surveillance footage isn't evidence, that vandalism isn't violence, and that KIRO was out of line for presuming McCormack did it.

The cognitive dissonance is a bit mind-blowing.
56
Whoops. Apologies for the double post.
57
The video is sketchy. The comments about Holden's suspect almost libelous. If the SPD had enough *actual evidence* - that is, the kind accepted by judges - they would make an arrest.

An arrest will come, but Holden does a disservice to the process by making speculative charges against an individual he names, but the police have not.

As I said, The Stranger better really hope this guy is charged, because if not, he might very well "lawyer up" and take a big bite out of The Stranger's insurance company.

Holden has a ax to grind, I'm not surprised he's forgone "journalistic integrity" for National Enquirer headlines.
58
Well, nice hack at a man that acts strange and has a receding hairline. As pathetic as any dubious indictment. I hope for my sake that you are wrong, what with my being an odd acting fellow with a receding hairline and all.
59
ok it's been a week, why is this guy still on the streets? SPD do we need to take some street justice here or are you going to get off your asses and do something?
60
#59, yeah man, go vigilante. That's always worked out so well in the past. It looks like SPD gave Holden a bucket of rope. When he's finished hanging himself maybe you can use it on the perp. I hear he looks just like that grainy photo says.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.