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ADC Applauds Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for Pressing for Answers in the Case of Alex Odeh

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a letter Dec. 20, 2021 that he sent to Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray on December 17, 2021.

In the letter, Sen. Durbin called on the FBI to “intensify its efforts to investigate the murder of Mr. Odeh and bring his killers to justice.”

The letter specifically cited the recent Los Angeles Times article where former Santa Ana police officer Hugh Mooney was interviewed and revealed information that had not been released to the public.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) applauds the senior Senator from Illinois for assisting in the pursuit of justice, and thanks him for independently writing this letter.

We welcome any and all help from Members of Congress to raise the profile of this heinous assassination and look forward to working with Sen. Durbin and the rest of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s staff as we move forward.

Palestinian Arab American Alex Odeh, with his children, was murdered in 1985. The killing has never been solved.

ADC National President Samer Khalaf said, “The bomb that took Alex Odeh’s life was just one in a string of bombings that targeted ADC offices in Boston and Washington, D.C. It has been 35 years since we last received any new information from either the FBI or the Department of Justice, and we thank Senator Durbin for adding his voice to a chorus calling for answers. While, understandably, we have focused on bringing Alex’s killers to justice, we also want to ensure that this attack is not viewed as an isolated incident. This was a deliberate attempt to silence an Arab-American civil rights icon and organization.”

ADC Legal and Policy Director Abed Ayoub said, “To have a senior member of the Senate, Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee take a serious look at this case is welcoming, and long overdue. We hope that it brings some answers from the FBI about what’s taking so long in this case and why justice hasn’t been brought for those responsible for Odeh’s murder.”