No decision was reached Thursday on whether a man accused of terrorizing fellow Muslims in the Moiliili-Manoa area in May is fit to stand trial for assaulting a University of Hawaii graduate student.
Jamal Morris, 24, had been scheduled to be arraigned in Circuit Court on May 31 on a first-degree attempted-assault charge, a felony that carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
However, Circuit Judge Richard Perkins ordered Morris to be examined to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. Morris has been committed to the Hawaii State Hospital since May while undergoing psychological evaluations.
Morris’ fitness hearing before Perkins was continued until Oct. 9.
He is accused of attacking UH graduate student Maseeh Ganjali on May 15 while Ganjali sat in his truck on University Avenue. Police said Morris tried to gouge Ganjali’s right eye, bit him and hit him repeatedly on his face after Ganjali gave him a ride from a Manoa Valley mosque.
After the attack, Ganjali said Morris had been threatening members of the Muslim community, most of whom are members of the mosque in Manoa.
Ganjali said he was fearful that Morris had an "agenda" and had been threatening others in the Muslim community.
"He (Morris) is a danger," Ganjali said. "He’s a danger to a lot of people in this very fragile and small Muslim community."
He said Morris mentioned to him the names of others from the mosque whom he was targeting.
At the time of the attack, Morris was out on bail after he allegedly doused Musa Bangura, 37, also a fellow Muslim, with vodka and tried to ignite the alcohol with a lighter at a McCully restaurant May 11. Bangura is treasurer of the Muslim Association of Hawaii.
After the two attacks, Muslim Association of Hawaii Chairman Hakim Ouansafi sought a temporary restraining order against Morris. He said he based his fear on a phone call Morris made to another man May 16 when Morris was in the Queen’s Medical Center’s psychiatric ward.
In the call, said Ouansafi, who is also Hawaii Public Housing Authority executive director, Morris named him as his next target and justified his attacks.
