Mohammed Hano and Mobarak Albadawi woke up on Sunday, March 29, to discover the tires on the vehicles outside their Spenard home had been deflated, and unwelcoming messages — like “Go Home” and “Leave Alaska,” among others – had been scrawled all over their cars.
KTVA has learned that the FBI has been speaking with the men, who are refugees from Sudan. Authorities have said the crime cannot be classified as a hate crime, because it lacks specific statements regarding race, religion or sexual orientation. As of Monday, April 6, the Anchorage Police Department said they were still involved in the investigation, but no suspects have been identified.
In a closer look at the case, retired APD detective Glen Klinkhart’s first step was to develop a timeline of events.
“We at least have a window,” said Klinkhart. “Whoever did this had to be in the area between one o’clock in the morning and eight o’clock in the morning.”
Klinkhart spent a day examining video footage shot the day of the alleged crime. He noted the way the words were written, the type of marker used and the formation of the letters. The suspect used a washable window marker, which is easily removed with soap and water.
“You go to vandalisms, this isn’t what you see,” Klinkhart said. “This is really unusual.”
At a store close to the crime scene, Klinkhart discovered washable markers on the shelves, and then compared them to the markings on the vehicles.
As the day progressed, Klinkhart examined three possible theories. The first was that the victims had committed the crime themselves. But Klinkart says looking at Hano’s body language and how he communicated things, he feels that “Mohommed himself is fearful.”
“He seems, at this point, everything that I see, I feel he is being honest with everything he says and what he feels,” Klinkhart said.
Hano’s friend and mentor, Deborah Bok, agrees.
“They stay home, they work two jobs, and they just do everything they can to get it right,” said Bok. “They’re on their best behavior, because their dream is to, they’re going to become and American citizen, and if they do anything to mess that up, that might not happen.”
Klinkhart’s second theory is that an unknown person committed the crime.
“Somebody who is out and sees, or there’s something that draws them to say, ‘Hey, I don’t like these people,’” Klinkhart said. “This would be typical of what you’d see as a hate crime.”
But, it’s his third theory he says is the most likely scenario — a friend, an associate, coworker or neighbor. Someone, he says, that is in their circle.
“Based on everything we’ve talked about, not only looking at raw footage, going out to the scene, talking to witnesses. We looked at the physical. We looked at all the physical things, the writing on the car. We looked at the tires, we looked at the actual, whether they were deflated, which they were. Whether they were cut or not cut. What process was used to actually deflate them,” Klinkhart said. “All of this stuff and more we looked at. I believe, my opinion is what we’re looking at is number three.”
As for Hano and his roommates, they’re still grateful to be here in Alaska. But they’re looking for a new apartment.