Naveed Haq, the man who attacked the Seattle Jewish Federation offices in 2006, killing a woman and injuring five other people, has been sentenced to life in prison. In the courtroom, Haq apologized for his actions.
In December, a jury found him guilty of aggravated murder and attempted murder. His defense argued that mental illness had been to blame for the attack and had kept him from understanding what he was doing.
The shooting has been described as the worst hate crime in the history of the state of Washington. In July 2006, Haq burst into the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, saying he was an American Muslim angered by Israel’s actions. Holding a teenager at gunpoint, he opened fire, killing fundraising director Pamela Waechter as she tried to escape and injuring five other people. He gave himself up for arrest without a struggle, police said at the time.
Haq's first trial had ended in 2008 with the jurors deadlocked on whether he was legally insane at the time of the killing. At his second trial the jury rejected his defense that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.
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