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Sometime before Sept. 11, 2001, Ra'ed scored a visa to the U.S., in the hope of enrolling at an American law school. "If you are not successful," his father told him, "just don't get a job as a dishwasher." As it happens, Ra'ed appears to have bounced among odd jobs while in the U.S. But if he was disappointed by his fortunes, Ra'ed didn't tell his family. The photo albums his family keeps show him in various all-American settings: enjoying a crab dinner, walking on a California beach and sitting on a Harley-Davidson...
...family can provide few other details about his life in the U.S. To this day, family members know he lived in California for nearly two years, but they have no idea where. After being denied entry to the U.S. in 2003, Ra'ed returned to Jordan and became withdrawn. Although outwardly charming, he coveted his privacy. Throughout 2004 he holed up in a makeshift studio apartment in the family's backyard, often sleeping until noon. The room features a television with satellite channels, a stereo with huge speakers and a motorcycle helmet, a prized souvenir from the U.S. A poster...
...Ra'ed began to show a deepening interest in religion. He took to praying five times a day and listening to Koranic verses on the radio. His family says he rarely discussed politics, but a friend told TIME Ra'ed became radically opposed to U.S. policies toward the Muslim world while still in the U.S. and later talked about going to Iraq. A neighbor, Nassib Jazzar, 32, recalls that a few months ago, Ra'ed criticized the U.S. occupation of Iraq. "He felt that the Arabs didn't have honor and freedom," says Jazzar. "Then he said, 'We the Arabs...
Last November, Ra'ed made an Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia but claimed that it was also a job search. A month later, he returned to Amman showing no outward signs of transformation. In January he abruptly informed his father that he was departing again for Saudi Arabia. Jordanian authorities have told Mansour that after leaving Jordan on Jan. 27, his son crossed into Syria, the favorite route for Iraq-bound jihadists. Throughout February, Ra'ed called home several times but seemed careful to avoid his father. He told his brother he had found a good job and that...
...Ra'ed phoned home for the last time, catching Ahmed on his cell phone, around the time of the Hilla bombing on Feb. 28--though the family's accounts of the precise date are unclear. Besides being particularly affectionate, Ra'ed said nothing to indicate his life was about to end. On March 3, Ahmed received the call telling him Ra'ed was a martyr. The caller read Ra'ed's last will and testament. Four days later, there was another call, to Mansour, who says he was invited, "Allah willing," to visit Ra'ed's tomb near the Iraqi...