FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – An Egyptian militant group called Sinai Province (formerly called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis) has claimed responsibility for killing a Fayetteville petroleum worker in August, according to a tweet from the group.
William Henderson, 58, of Fayetteville was employed by Apache Corporation of Houston, Texas for 28 years, according to an obituary posted on the Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home website.
Henderson was in a company car, driving from Quarun to Karma, Egypt, when a vehicle blocked his path, allowing assassins to shoot him once, said Stephen Jones, an Enid, Oklahoma, lawyer representing the Henderson family. The round pierced an arm and punctured his lung and heart, Jones said. The assassins apparently emerged from a truck or nearby shrubbery, he said.
The incident happened in “broad daylight,” Jones told 5NEWS.
The Fayetteville resident was unarmed at the time of the shooting, the lawyer said.
“This was a terrorist act against a defenseless American,” Jones said.
No one has been taken into custody in the Aug. 6 incident, Jones said.
Jones also released a statement on behalf of the Henderson family, which called the murder “senseless.”
“Other than the symbolic act of murdering in cold blood in broad daylight an unarmed civilian in the middle of the desert,” the statement reads. “It advances no political goal of the organization responsible for his death, but show them to be cowards and murderers. Arab and Muslim honor does not condone the murder of innocent civilians.”
Henderson, who worked a schedule of 28 days on and 28 days off, had returned to Arkansas from an Alaskan cruise with his wife four days before being shot in Egypt, Jones said.
The obituary states he is survived by his wife, Carol Henderson of Fayetteville, and two daughters, one of whom also lives in Fayetteville.
Sinai Province posted a picture of Henderson’s passport and worker identification card (seen below) in the tweet they used to claim responsibility for killing him.
His funeral was held Aug. 16 in Enid, Okla., the obituary states.
Apache Corporation released the following statement:
“The tragic carjacking incident this past August involving our colleague Bill Henderson is still under investigation by the U.S. government. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Henderson family. Out of respect for the family and the ongoing nature of the investigation, I cannot comment further.”
In their statement, Henderson’s family thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Egyptian authorities and their family and friends for their support.
