INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Sebastian River High classmate Summer Thomas remembers the man who committed a suicide bombing in Syria last week as a “normal kid.”
He was someone she often talked with, sitting next to each other in Spanish and hanging out at friends’ homes after school.
“He was always friendly to everyone,” Thomas told VeroNews.com Saturday afternoon.
Which is why, “when I read the story, it shocked me,” she added.
Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, now-22, was in the 10th grade while Thomas was a grade ahead, she said.
He was known to friends and fellow students as “Moe,” according to Thomas.
On May 25, according to the U.S. Department of State, Abu-Salha drove a truck laden with 16 tons of explosives and detonated it, with himself inside, in the Syrian city of Idlib. The truck exploded outside a restaurant known as a place where Syrian troops gathered.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of State identified the suicide bomber as Abu Hurayra al-Amriki. In Arabic, the name Al-Amriki means “the American.”
Thomas said Abu-Salha was devout in his religious beliefs, something he didn’t hide from others.
“It’s creepy to think people you’ve known for years” could do something like this, Thomas said.
She said when she saw the photo of “Moe” holding the cat, she knew immediately it was him, though he didn’t have the beard in high school.
“I recognized him right away,” Thomas said.
She said she also knew his older brother in school. His brother appeared to be driven, according to Thomas, who said he planned to be a doctor and was in the school’s ROTC program.
“Moe slacked,” she said, but he never showed violence toward anyone.
She added that he was protective of her, especially when she was having “guy-trouble.”
“He was really nice to me,” Thomas said.
U.S. authorities believe Abu-Salha is the first American suicide bomber in the Syrian conflict.
To date, more than 160,000 people have died as a result of the 3-year civil war between the pro-Syrian government forces and the anti-Syrian government/rebel forces.
This article has been updated to incorporate new information and details from what VeroNews.com previously published at 9:17 a.m. May 31.
