LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles has been hit with claims of more than $58 million stemming from last year’s shooting rampage at the L.A. International Airport’s El Al check-in counter.
Killed in the July 4 attack were two Israeli Americans, Yaakov Aminov, a 46-year-old owner of a jewelry distribution company, and Victoria Hen, 25, who had worked as an El Al ticket agent for less than two months.
They died in a hail of bullets fired by Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, an Egyptian immigrant, who opened fire on passengers waiting in line. He was killed within seconds by an El Al security guard.
Claims filed last Friday by the Aminov family and others total more than $38 million, while Hen’s parents are asking for $20 million.
Attorney Richard Fine, representing the Aminovs, charged in his complaint that the city had failed to provide any police presence at the terminal and that it took officers 15 minutes to respond to the shooting.
Should the city reject the claims within the 45-day deadline, Fine said he would bring a lawsuit in federal court. The case could be expanded to target Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist organization and tap assets frozen by the U.S. government.
Shortly after the July 4 attack, the London-based Arab newspaper al-Hayat published an article indicating that Hadayet had met with bin Laden’s top aide in 1995 and 1998.
Of the total of more than $38 million in claims, $10 million is earmarked for Aminov’s widow, Anat, and $17 million for their five children, ranging in age from 2 to 10 years.
A further $3 million claim is on behalf of the victim’s three children in Israel from his first marriage.
Compensation for emotional trauma and loss of income was sought by four others: Arie Golan, who wrestled the gunman to the ground; Michael Shabtai and Moti Harari; who stood next to Aminov and missed injury or death by a fraction of an inch; and Harari’s 6-year old daughter Shiran, who, for her safety, was thrown by her father over the counter, where she landed on top of Hen’s body.
Attorney Stephen Jamieson, representing Avi and Rachel Hen, cited not only “unsafe and dangerous” security conditions at the airport — despite the heightened alert following Sept. 11 — but also inadequate medical care in their daughter’s death.
Airport officials declined comment, but the Los Angeles Daily News reported that security had been beefed up since July 4 by the addition of 60 uniformed officers to complement the 240 existing airport police.
The FBI still has not issued a final report on the case, to the frustration of the victims’ families and Israeli officials, who view the shooting as a clear act of terrorism.
An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles said last Friday that the results of the local investigation had been sent to headquarters for evaluation.