TAMPA, Fla. — A Marine reservist was charged with attacking a Greek Orthodox priest he said he thought was a terrorist.
Jasen D. Bruce, 28, allegedly hit Alexios Marakis, 29, over the head with a tire iron and chased him for three blocks Monday evening before Tampa police officers intervened.
Marakis, visiting from Crete, told police he had stopped to ask the reservist for help after getting lost downtown. Bruce pulled out a tire iron and attacked the priest, police said. He then called 911 as he chased Marakis, saying an Arab man was trying to rob him. When police arrived, Bruce told them the man was a terrorist.
Bruce also told police he heard Marakis yell, “Allahu akbar!” — Arabic for “God is great.” Marakis, however, does not speak Arabic, police said. He speaks Greek.
