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.

[johnb838]

Exactly -- I have no problem with entertaining all possibilities, but to dismiss the thought of AQ terrorism is irresponsible.

[areafiftyone]

Horrible thought that young people have no feelings about killing and can be cold blooded like that. But look at Columbine and then the rash of young kids just taking shots at other kids for fun like snipers. It is a sad thing to think that some kids are growing up like that. These may be kids old enough to drive and old enough to have guns and maybe are just on a kill for kicks spree with no particular motive but to act out their favorite movies or video games. How many kids have we seen within the past 10 years targeting people with guns. These kids have no guidance from adults and can basically do what they want.

[Prodigal Son]

There seems to be very little crossover, ie., cases in which a serial killer targets random adults and who also targets young children.

Well, first- the boy he shot wasn't exactly a young child. 13 wasn't he? And there have been examples of serial killers who have targeted both. It is of course a possibility that he is an al Qaeda bad man. But is equally possible that he is a homegrown caucasian American as well- yes or no?

We have threads on this very forum of all manner of sick twisted people and the heinous evil acts they commit. I recall one about a mother who put her baby in the oven and baked it. Sick people, sociopaths come in all forms and stripes. We, in America, have our fair share of them.

A person who would randomly snipe at total strangers for absolutely no discernible reason- well who knows what they would do? Do you? I don't. I do know that this person has targeted adults and children. I do know that other notorious killers have as well.

Other than my own military experience and conversations I have had with people in the past who seemed to have a fetish for sniping- I have no personal experience to draw upon.

I can speculate about the weapon, how he would get into and out of the area and the problems he faced while shooting because these would similar to problems I had been trained to solve.

I can speculate about the white box truck because I used to be the lead man over he assembly line that made this specific model and know those box trucks inside and out.

But I would not kill an innocent person, so I can't tell you what is going through the mind of somebody who would. Everywhere I have ever been on Earth, people seemed to value their children equally well. I see no reason to believe, based upon my scant experience in life, nor from other home grown examples nor from my idle speculation that this person could not easily be a home grown nutter. It could be anybody. But what is there to heavily point to it being a foreign terrorist? I don't see it.

[areafiftyone]

Could it not be a home grown nutcase that happens to be a rabid moose limb?

Or it could be a cheese nut!!!

[freeperfromnj]

But look at Columbine and then the rash of young kids just taking shots at other kids for fun like snipers.

But here again, as is usually the case with serial killers, they targeted a specific group -- their peers. Also, it was up close and personal. Unabomber also singled out a group -- corporate figures. To me, it is the nature of the randomness here that is very telling. I just don't think a couple of kids would be quite so cunning in their escape nor emotionally capable of not cracking yet.

[Elenya]

Whoever it is, I'd bet a paycheck that it's NOT two kids on Ritalin with nothing better to do.

Well I won't bet anything on it myself: my crystal ball isn't always reliable... :o)

[cake_crumb]

"But as I have heard from psych experts, serial killer experts, this sniper is not selecting a "target group" and in that way differs from all previous serial killers....there's a randomness to the killings: women, men, and a child, of different ethnicities. Does not fit the "normal" serial killer profile"

That is EXACTLY what has been bugging me so much about this whole case. It doesn't fit ANYTHING..unless his "target group" are Americans, regardless of age, race or gender.

"Leads me to believe the sniper is not a "serial killer" or American......(unless it's an american Johnny Jihad)."

EXACTLY. BUMP.

[js1138]

A psycho might target young children. Thirteen-year-olds are old enough to be soldiers in many cultures. I can recall 12-year-olds attacking Soviet tanks in the Hungarian uprising. Not to mention the current bombings in Israel.

[ChiMark]

There is no direct link to anything but it must be an evil white male! This is well planned. The killer(s) did not panic, the targets are random and there is no identifiable
evidence except for casings. If this were a manical killer
would'nt this happen within a few hours instead of spreading over days? What they are saying is this murder spree does not fit the conventional profiles. So why can't we assume it is terrorism?

[aboutojump]

I heard on FOX this morning that at the last shooting site that they found a hand written note that had directions from MD to that Exxon station. Has anyone heard this from other sources?

[PokeyJoe]

Actually, there is a pattern. He only works 5 days a week, therefore, he must have a job on the weekends that requires his absence.

[sobieski]

Unless he himself is the truck's owner; say, a small business

[CharacterCounts]

This shooting of a child, I believe, would be out of character for an American sniper.

Not if the shooter is a teenager. A lot of things on this thread, and others, used to point the finger at ME terrorists could equally point to teenagaers.

The Note: Dear Policeman - Indicative of a juvinile mind.

The taunt: I am God - This statement was in response to statements made by the Chief at a press conference. Demonstrates that authority is an issue with the shooter. In my mind also indicative of juvinile thinking.

No shootings on weekends: - Why? Because parents are at home on weekends?

The tarot card: - Very new age or occultish. This points away from ME Terrorists and towards teenage punk goth mentality.

[aristeides]

I had understood from earlier postings that the directions are from northern Maryland (presumably not including Montgomery County) to the Beltway. The source is apparently a Newsweek article.

[Aquinasfan]

Are all of them going to be so deficient in curiosity that they don't compare notes as to where they were at the time of the shootings?

I believe there are at least three people involved, so that each has an alibi for at least one shooting. In my mind this makes it more likely to be organized terrorism.

Good point. The post about the prayer times was interesting too.

[samuel_adams_us]

This guys never strikes on the weekends, doesn't seem to be striking today on a federal holiday even though the working masses are still working today so that would lead one to believe that this sniper is a government employee. Either a state, local or federal employee. Since this person has struck in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia it would make you wonder if they are not a federal employee as they would be completely out of place if they were a state employee in another state. This sniper is probably a government courier of some type.

[aristeides]

And the worst shot was the one a week and a half ago at the unusual time of 2 PM on Friday in Fredericksburg. Evidence that that shooting was by another shooter (although using the same weapon, as ballistics shows)?

[mikhailovich]

One of the most intriguing clues is the void of killings on weekends. To me this says the sniper is either a local student skipping school, his parents are home on weekends and he has less flexibility on those days. Or, it could be an intentional effort to target a community during their busiest and most vulnerable time -- during the work/school week. It's anyone's guess. On a side note, isn't this region where the majority of anthrax letters were mailed?