Take Action: Demand Justice for Alex Odeh and his family
A Palestinian-American organizer and civil rights icon, Alex Odeh was assassinated in a terrorist attack on the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's West Coast Regional Office in 1985. As Mr. Odeh opened the front door of ADC office in Santa Ana, CA, a powerful pipe bomb exploded, killing him and injuring seven others.
Mr. Odeh was a tireless Arab-American peace activist who committed his life to protecting civil and human rights in the U.S. and abroad, and to promoting peace and mutual understanding between diverse communities. He was also a poet and a lecturer of Arabic Language and Middle East History at Coastline College in Santa Ana, California. Mr. Odeh left behind a wife, three daughters and many friends.
Thirty years after his death, the case remains unresolved, and the perpetrators continue to live with impunity.
Following the attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classified the bombing as an act of domestic terrorism and designated the investigation into the case as the highest national priority. However, three decades after the terrorist attack, the FBI has failed to officially name a single suspect in the case, and the DOJ has failed to indict a single one of the perpetrators.
In August of 2014, President Obama gave a speech vowing to be ‘vigilant’ and ‘relentless’ in pursuing terrorists.
If the U.S. is truly committed to seeing that justice is done when terrorists harm Americans “anywhere”, then we should be particularly vigilant in prosecuting the terrorists that kill Americans on U.S. soil, including the terrorists who killed Mr. Odeh.
According to the Guardian, the FBI named the Jewish Defense League (JDL) as the focus of its investigations following the 1985 terrorist attack. The Los Angeles Times also reported that the FBI’s anti-terrorism task force mentioned three JDL members as suspected bombers in the case. All three suspects have been convicted of other bombings and shootings targeting Arabs in the U.S. and the West Bank.
Driven by anti-Arab ideology, these JDL extremists had a clear motive for attacking Mr. Odeh and the ADC office. As a Arab-American who dedicated his life to promoting peace and mutual understanding between diverse communities, Mr. Odeh presented a clear threat to the JDL’s racist anti-Arab ideology. Mr. Odeh was planning to speak at a prayer service at a synagogue in California on the day of his murder. The JDL didn’t want the American public to see a positive image of an Arab-American who had dedicated his life to public service and promoting peace.
Despite evidence pointing to these suspects, the case has remained an open investigation, and the family has received no answers. Odeh’s assassination devastated his family and his children continue to suffer. The FBI needs to pursue those responsible for this domestic terrorist attack with the same vigilance as they would for any other act of terrorism committed on U.S. soil.
Click here to view a video compilation of Alex Odeh's civil rights work and the case.
Take Action:
1. Tell President Obama to be vigilant and relentless to see that justice is done for Alex Odeh and his family.
2. Tell your U.S. Representative to conduct a hearing into the FBI's investigation of the terrorist attack that killed Alex Odeh.
It is especially important for constituents of House Judiciary Committee Members to contact their Representatives! Please click here to review the list of House Judiciary Committee Members to see if your U.S. Representative is on the Judiciary Committee.