Police had suspected serial killer Elias Abuelazam in custody twice in the past month, both within hours of when stabbings were reported, Video.

Before arrest, police had serial killer suspect in custody
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 13, 2010 -- Updated 1546 GMT (2346 HKT)

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Police had suspected serial killer Elias Abuelazam in custody twice in the past month, both within hours of when stabbings were reported, but say he hadn't been linked to the bloody attacks at the time.
Abuelazam, 33, is suspected of slashing victims in three states and killing five of them. He arrested last Sunday on a traffic charge and July 29 for giving alcohol to a minor, according to authorities and court documents. He was released both times.



After his August 5 traffic stop in Arlington, Virginia, police arrested him after learning that he had an outstanding warrant for assault. They found a knife and hammer in his car -- both weapons authorities think were used during a string of knifings in Michigan, Virginia and Ohio.
One of those attacks happened in Virginia just hours after Abuelazam was released.
Police say he had not been linked to the stabbings, which began in May and continued until last weekend, at the time of the arrests. Family members of the victims told CNN that they don't blame officials for not holding him.
Abuelazam, an Israeli citizen living legally in the United States, was arrested Wednesday night at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. He was trying to board a flight to Israel when he was taken into custody, police said.
Most of Abuelazam's suspected victims were black. While federal officials were saying late Thursday that it was too soon to give a motive, Leesburg Police Chief Joseph Price said he believed the suspect was targeting African-Americans.
"For our community ... when you look at our demographics and you look at the victims here, my belief is he selected the victims in Leesburg based on the color of their skin," Price said.
Abuelazam also was cited by police in Michigan. He was fined $125 for providing alcohol to a minor on July 29, the same day as an early-morning stabbing was reported in the area.
Abuelazam agreed Friday in an Atlanta court to be sent back to Michigan to face charges.
The arrest ended an intense manhunt for the suspect police say knifed at least 18 people.
A tip led Michigan police this week to a market where the suspect worked, said Prosecutor David S. Leyton, of Genesee County, Michigan. After talking with employees, police watched surveillance video to determine whether he matched the physical description of the attacker.
In Louisville, Kentucky, authorities learned he had bought a $3,000 ticket from Atlanta to Tel Aviv, Israel, paid for by his uncle.
The man was traveling on an expired Israeli passport but was in the United States legally, a federal law enforcement official involved in the investigation said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said they arrested Abuelazam at 10 p.m. ET as he attempted to board a Delta flight bound for Tel Aviv. A Homeland Security official told CNN that the National Targeting Center had found his name on the passenger list.
Authorities have said the same person is responsible for three recent attacks in Leesburg, the stabbing deaths of five people and wounds to nine others in the Flint, Michigan, area, and a stabbing Saturday that wounded a man in Toledo, Ohio.
Fourteen of the victims were in Michigan and most of them were African-American, police said. Flint is a majority African-American community. In majority-white Leesburg, two victims were black and one was Latino.
Stephanie Ward, a sister of one of the victims in Flint, said she couldn't understand why someone would kill her brother, Arnold Minor.
"Why? That's what we all want to know. How could you do that?" she asked.
Several of the victims were developmentally disabled, police said.
Abuezalem once worked at North Spring Behavioral Healthcare, in Leesburg, Virginia, the center confirmed Friday.
"His employment at North Spring ended in 2008," North Spring CEO Scott Zeiter said in a written statement. "We understand that he may be a suspect in certain crimes committed in 2010. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families."
The Michigan attacks began May 24, with the most recent taking place August 2. The three attacks in Virginia occurred Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of last week.
The Michigan victims ranged in age from 17 to 60, authorities said. All of the victims were men, and in two cases they were people with special needs.
The suspect is said to have approached victims who were walking during the early morning hours, asking for directions or other assistance to lure them close to his car, police said. Sgt. Bill Wauford of the Toledo Police Department said the method of attack in the Ohio case matched that described in the Michigan incidents.
The five Michigan fatalities have been identified as David Motley, Emmanuel Dent, Darwin Marshall, Frank Kellybrew and Minor.
"We ought to remember the victims in all of this," Leyton said. "You have real people who have died and real families who have been torn apart. Our heart goes out to them."
Investigators said more charges are expected.