Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/20/2012

A culturally enriched young man with a gun entered a bank in Toulouse, France, demanded money, and after being refused, fired a shot and took four hostages. The standoff was eventually resolved with no casualties among the hostages or bystanders. Some reports said the gunman was wounded. The would-be robber announced that he was connected with Al Qaeda, and had attempted his crime for religious reasons rather than for money.

In other news, a military judge in Texas excluded Maj. Nidal Hasan, the killer shrink of Ft. Hood, from courtroom preparations for his trial because he did not shave off his beard. Maj. Hasan’s lead counsel explained that the beard was a deeply felt expression of her client’s religious faith.

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Thanks to Fausta, JP, Seneca III, Steen, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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