US sniper may be linked to Bin Laden (DC SNIPER ALERT)

The Evening Standard ^ | October 14, 2002 | James Langton

[MadIvan]

Intelligence experts in Washington are increasingly concerned that the gunman known as the "psycho-sniper" could be a terrorist with links to Islamic terror groups.

From the evidence gathered so far, which includes a handwritten note by the gunman, investigators think English may not be his first language.

The shootings, which have left eight dead in fewer than 12 days, coincided with a warning that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network is planning new attacks. The FBI warned last Wednesday that supporters of Bin Laden were "targeting key sectors of the US economy" and has long suspected that a number of "sleeper" cells are still active.

The latest victim, on Friday morning, was father-of-six Kenneth Bridges, gunned down at a petrol station in Fredericksburg.

Investigators are troubled by the gunman's behaviour, in particular his habit of selecting targets at random. Recent reports suggest he may have a female accomplice and drives a large white van.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[aristeides]

That Muslim exchange student they caught two weeks ago trying to board a plane with 2 box cutters hidden in a bottle of lotion and scissors in a bar of soap was Bulgarian.

Was it verified that he was Moslem? I speculated at the time that he was, but I never saw the verification.

[Elenya]

The note did not say Dear MR. Policeman, as you posted and did your Google search.

There's no evidence of it. See yesterday's article:

"Physical evidence has been scant, with one taunting clue apparently left by the shooter near where a 13-year-old victim was shot - a tarot "death" card with the words "dear Mr Policeman, I am God" scrawled on the back. "

LINK

Besides, the same people said the same thing about "Dear Policeman". The original letter said: "Dear Peace Officer"

[KSApplePie_two]

Here in Wichita a couple of decades ago we had the "BTK Strangler" serial killings. He has never been caught. He either quit, moved on or changed his MO. I believe its one of the latter two.

[johnb838]

The airlines are in trouble and it's not going to get better anytime soon because now that people are finding alternate methods that are much more pleasant than submitting to the PC body cavity search gestapo, and the concentration camp boxcar methods of packing the planes, they aren't going to be coming back until they change their ways.

I just hope the government doesn't bail these idiots out until the airlines are like amtrak. Let them die.

[gnarledmaw]

"The "I am God" note indicates that the sniper either thinks he is like God in killing indiscriminately or doing the will of God by killing Americans."

Not at all. It only indicates that he is monitoring the coverage. When the cops were on TV and said that they thought they knew where he lived based on the original shooting pattern, he went and shot someone outside of the area that they were zeroing in on. Similarly, the day before the school shooting/tarot incident, members of the media were commenting on "well, at least the children have been safe" and on that same day some guy who was supposedly the instructor for the profilers presently working on this case was on TV carrying on about how this guy thought he was god and that to hold a weapon was to have the power of god over someone else, god, god, god, on and on. The next morning, a kid was shot and the tarot card with the god message was on it.

This stuff isnt coincidental.

BTW, I suspect that its more than one person. From what little has been released of the details of the shootings I would say that there is at least 1 sniper of some ability and at least 1 who is a comparatively poor shot possibly using the same rifle. Thats only a guess based on estimated distances, spot targeted on victims, and subsequent result.

[aristeides]

Four shootings (and four killings -- the tactic is successful) at gas stations: two in Montgomery Co., one in Manassas, the latest outside Fredericksburg.

[Brad C.]

The act of martyrdom in jihad forgives them of all their sin, so it did not matter to them what they did on the night before because they were flying into allh's arms the next day.

[Clovis_Skeptic]

excerpt from Christian Missionary website: click for not much more

"Yet alongside this orthodoxy, traditions of the animism and mysticism remain. Some Muslims still wear talismans, cast spells, consult Tarot cards, and placate jinns (genies). "

Here is more from a tarot card website exploring the cards history....

"CURRENT HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING: Playing cards came to Europe from Islam, probably via Muslim Spain, about 50 years before the development of tarot.(Yes, I see it says playing cards) They appeared quite suddenly in many different European cities between l375 and 1378. European playing cards were an adaptation of the Islamic Mamluk cards."

[KsSunflower]

I completely agree. "Small Ball" may have begun.

At this point, who really knows? I would think, though, that at a time when there are terrorist attacks all over the world and our capital city is under siege, such as this, how can the thought of terrorism be summarily dismissed by anyone with common sense?

[mikhailovich]

My thoughts are these:

- a wave of Al-Queda terrorism ignited, worldwide, in the past week to 10 days.
- virtually no clues exist in the sniper shootings.
- most psychotic killers kill at "closer ranges" - they tend to get "up close and personal" to their victims (Dahmer, Gonzalez, Henry Lee Lucas(sp)
- most "rage" killings occur in a rather short period of time, followed by the suicide or killing of the perpetrator.
- this sniper(s) are in a port town. Nearly all Al Queda cells have been discovered in port cities - Portland, Seattle, Tampa, D.C, NYC.

[teeman8r]

the sniper's poor english skills mislead the police, he meant to write i am good... left out an o, so now the authorities are looking for a religious madman, but he is just a cocky terrorist with poor spelling skills.

[Elenya]

#146 by Shooter2.5 is more detailed and accurate about the game setting.

[AntiGuv]

By the way, I hate to be rude, but this "Dear Policeman" debate is just downright laughable. Yes, at least 9 out of 10 people would write "Dear Officer: I am God" if they wanted to address such a thing to a police officer. But, a megalomanic sociopath like the 'Son of Sam' on a God kick would never use the term 'Officer' which confers authority and respect; he would default to: Policeman. Stop thinking like a normal person if you wanna get into the disordered mind of this Tarot Sniper.....

[aristeides]

MD's governor saying that he was a coward (he left the card saying he was God);

I think Glenspending made that idiotic statement before the guy left the tarot card. But the shooting in Fredericksburg 50 yards from a state trooper happened after the statement.

[Demidog]

From the evidence gathered so far, which includes a handwritten note by the gunman, investigators think English may not be his first language.

He is reported as being white. Perhaps he's a Serbian and is putting DC through what the US and International forces allowed to occur when KLA snipers were gunning down men, women and children on a daily basis. In the infinite wisdom of the Clinton administration, the US sided with the Al Queda-trained, heroin-producing KLA.

[Prodigal Son]

most psychotic killers kill at "closer ranges" - they tend to get "up close and personal" to their victims (Dahmer, Gonzalez, Henry Lee Lucas(sp)

Most. But not all. The Unabomber comes to mind immediately.

[johnb838]

And they always claim responsiblity

You're wrong. Al-queda NEVER claims responsibility for any of their attacks. Bin Laden made tapes bragging about this and that but he never claimed responsibility for 911. The tape where he DID brag about it was not released, it was captured during the invasion of Afghanistan.

[KsSunflower]

I also believe that the shooting of a child would weigh in on your list. Culturally in our country...even in prison...there is a line drawn when it comes to crime against children.

It seems to me, that child killers are child killers. This shooting of a child, I believe, would be out of character for an American sniper. The point could have been made by shooting a teacher on the school grounds, the targeting of a child is really beyond the pale.

[Dr.Deth]

When our "leaders" have sense enough to take the oil weapon away and this kind of thing stops, we will not know for usre.