Texan Executed For '9/11 Revenge' Killings
A Texas man has been executed for killing two shop workers in what he claimed was revenge for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Mark Stroman, 41, targeted three separate convenience stores in the Dallas area, shooting men who he believed were of Middle Eastern descent.
He claimed one of his sisters had perished in the World Trade Centre when al Qaeda operatives hijacked planes and flew them into the twin towers in New York.
Prosecutors in Texas were sceptical of his claim. They say there was never any proof his sibling even existed and that robbery, not revenge, was his motive.
My split second of hate and anger after 9/11 has caused many people lifetimes of pain, and I regret that to this day.
Killer Mark Stroman
In court, state lawyers claimed he had demanded money from one of his victims before opening fire.
Stroman, who had previous convictions for burglary, robbery, theft and credit card abuse was also believed to be a member of white supremacist group Aryan Brotherhood.
The selection criteria for his self-described revenge attacks were clearly arbitrary. One victim, Vasudev Patel, was a 49-year-old, Indian-born Hindu and a naturalised American citizen.
An appeal for clemency came from a surprising source - the lone survivor from Stroman's shooting spree.
Rais Bhuiyan was left to die - but asked for mercy for Stroman
Bangladeshi-born Rais Bhuiyan was shot in the face and left to die on the shop floor where he worked.
He still has nearly 40 shotgun pellets imbedded under his skin, but he says his Muslim faith preaches forgiveness, and so appealed for state prosecutors to commute the death penalty.
Speaking before Stroman was executed, Mr Bhuiyan said: "I am praying God to spare his life, to give him a chance. We all make mistakes as human beings."
On death row, Stroman appeared to express remorse for his attacks.
Stroman was the eighth person to be executed in Texas this year
"I did what I did out of rage and stupidity," he told CBS News.
"My split second of hate and anger after 9/11 has caused many people lifetimes of pain, and I regret that to this day."
It is believed to be the first time the victim of a convicted death row killer has asked the state of Texas to show leniency.
Stroman was the eighth person to be executed in Texas this year.
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