Hanafi Siege Gunman Granted Compassionate Release From Prison

The gunman who killed WHUR reporter Maurice Williams, wounded then-D.C. Council member Marion Barry and shot safety guard Mark Cantrell within the Hanafi Siege of 1977 was granted compassionate launch from jail.

Greater than 40 years in the past, Abdul Muzakir was one in all 12 gunmen who seized three buildings in downtown Washington, D.C. and held 149 hostages over two days.

The boys have been following the orders of Hammas Abdul Khaalis who wished to carry consideration to the homicide of his household in a constructing on sixteenth avenue in 1973.

For 39 hours, D.C. residents watched and waited as negotiators bargained to free the hostages. Muslim ambassadors from Iran, Egypt and Pakistan labored with police to persuade the gunmen, all Hanafi Muslims, to give up.

Muzakir, one of many gunmen, is now residing along with his spouse and daughter in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On the time of his conviction, a decide instructed Muzakir that he would “die in jail.”

Now, Muzakir is free.

A kind of wounded within the siege was Robert Pierce, an aspiring lawyer who was left paralyzed.

Pierce’s son, Steve, says he has combined emotions concerning the gunman’s launch.

“I don’t bear any animosity in the direction of Abdul, I don’t actually know something about him aside from what i’ve learn within the newspapers like everybody else, I’m not in search of vengeance in opposition to him, however i want to see that he has mirrored on what he has finished,” Steve mentioned.

Decide Peter Krauthamer wrote in theruling that Muzakir has by no means expressed any regret for taking pictures 4 folks, however that had no bearing on the choice to order his launch with time served.

The decide mentioned Muzakir meets the requirements for compassionate launch as a result of he’s older than 60 and has served at the very least 20 years in jail. Muzakir has additionally met the required commonplace proving he isn’t a hazard to the group and that the probabilities of him re-offending in any manner are extraordinarily low.

The decide additionally mentioned Muzakir’s document and jail historical past present he has been rehabilitated and is not harmful. Muzakir obtained a school diploma whereas incarcerated and has held a job in jail since 1983.

Decide Krauthamer mentioned partly:

“Mr. Muzakir has no prior convictions to the underlying offense and he participated within the takeovers within the identify of Mr. Khaalis and at his route, as a part of a gaggle. Moreover on the time, Mr. Muzakir was an impressionable 22 12 months previous, interested in an even bigger trigger or ideology and nonetheless on the precipice of full maturity.”

Steve Pierce says if there may be one factor he want to see is a few regret or an apology from the person who shot his father.

“What I want to see occur is that he apologizes for what he did, expresses regret, and the decide seems to be at this document and decides that he’s not an extra risk,” Steve mentioned.

The decide’s ruling mentioned the household of Marion Barry didn’t oppose the discharge, however the household of the safety guard who was shot, Mack Cantrell, did.

In response to the ruling, Muzakir shall be residing in Silver Spring along with his spouse. He was launched on April 15 and is on supervised probation for the following 5 years.