Death for Sep 11 Grudge Killer

A Dallas man who targeted immigrants on a shooting spree in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks has been sentenced to death. Mark Stroman, 32, received the death penalty after being found guilty on Tuesday of the murder of petrol station owner Vasudev Patel, a 49-year-old naturalised US citizen born in India.

Stroman, a stone worker, is also charged in the killing of Waqar Hussan, a convenience store owner from Pakistan, and the wounding of Raisuddin Bhuiyan, a Bangaldeshi immigrant shot at the gas station where he worked.

Stroman maintained that he was driven by anger over the attacks on New York and Washington DC.

The same jury that convicted Stroman earlier this week condemned him to death.

Stroman showed no reaction as the sentence was read but saluted the bench as he left the court and said: "Thank you judge." The defence had argued that Stroman's poor upbringing and lack of education should be taken into account when deciding his fate.

Following September 11 there were several violent attacks on people perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent, and mosques were vandalised. Mr Patel was a Hindu.

Pressing for the death penalty, prosecutor Greg Davis pointed to the widows and victims' families in the courtroom. "They had the American dream and believed in the ideals of this country and that's why they left their own countries," he said.

"But those dreams were wiped out because this man here had another dream. His dream was to kill them all."