SNIPER? -- French military trainee missing in North America

Reuters ^ | 10-21-02

[Oldeconomybuyer]

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Defence Ministry has confirmed the desertion of a student from its prestigious St Cyr military school who left for a holiday in Canada and the United States in August and failed to return.

Defence Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said on Monday that he could not confirm some media reports that the man had been identified by fellow trainee soldiers from a police sketch of the sniper who has killed nine people in the Washington area since October 2.

U.S. authorities have not released a sketch of the sniper to the public.

"At this stage, we have absolutely no certainty that this military deserter is the Washington sniper," Bureau said.

The French man, aged 25, who had shooting experience and was training to be a second lieutenant, has been reported missing to local police and gendarmerie who forwarded his details to Interpol, he said.

Bureau said the man had been reported as a deserter in early October and that he had had no contact with his family since leaving for North America sometime in August.

[ReaganIsRight]

Good Post. Hope this guy doesn't find my previous post asking "when was the last time you saw a French car"?

Last Frenchman I worked with, a Captain in the Canadian Air Force is six feet under from CO poisioning. Happens when you turn the car on and shut the garage on purpose.

[Diogenesis]

"Surrender or die"?

We will know for sure simply by looking at the composite.

Oh, there is no composite. ?????

[Psalm 73]

Let me guess - he is not a Frenchman, he is a French man, ie: a French citizen from, say, North Africa?

[elfman2]

What? Up for 10 minutes and no surrender posts yet?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

That's what I was thinking. Not a true frenchman, but a Muslim type who was born in France.

If this is a French Muslim (the sniper) then I hope we really give it to the frogs.

[CatoRenasci]

A spokesman named Bureau.... (the ultimate bureaucat?) in a story about a missing froggie St.Cyr cadet? This is too weird.

No knock on St. Cyr, though, the cadets there are brave enough -- in 1940 they became the 3rd military academy cadet corps to fight together as a unit as they defended the school against the Germans.

[The other two were the Mexican cadets who defended their school, Chepaultepc, against the Americans in 1848 and the Virigina Military Institute cadet battalion which fought in (and won) the Battle of New Market in 1864.]

[OKSooner]

Yeah. Why hasn't his name been released?

[Fighting Irish]

Very interestingggggggggggggg.....

Reuters pulled the story this morning.

[TomGuy]

Yeah. Why hasn't his name been released?

The same reason U.S. authorities have not released a sketch of the sniper to the public.

[martin_fierro]

"Cher policier -- je suis Dieu." ?

[piasa]

get a look at this

[Diogenesis]

"The same reason U.S. authorities have not released a sketch of the sniper to the public."

---

"This just in. Chief Moose continues his dedicated daily news conferences.
Meanwhile, the public patiently awaits a possible composite of the shootist for the sixteenth month.

[iopscusa]

the 3rd military academy cadet corps to fight together as a unit??? - did not the Citadel Corp fight together in 1861 as the 1st shots of the War for States Rights, aka Lincoln's War, aka the "Civil" War were fired on Ft. Sumter?

[Lion's Cub]

Defence Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said on Monday that he could not confirm some media reports that the man had been identified by fellow trainee soldiers from a police sketch of the sniper who has killed nine people in the Washington area since October

I know Reuters is hardly the bastion of truth, but perhaps Moussaoui will soon have company. Then the French can complain about two death sentences...

[CatoRenasci]

No, the entire Citadel corps did not fight together as a unit in 1861. Some cadets did man an artillery battery, but IIRC, Edmund Ruffin (an elderly man who was a war of 1812 and perhaps even revolutionary vet) is generally regarded as the man fired the first shot.

[Iwo Jima]

No one has seen the sniper. We don't even know for sure if it's a man (just an educated guess). Who do you think has seen ANYTHING whatsoever which would enable anyone to draw a sketch?

The sketch for this guy for now is a blank sheet of paper.

[2timothy3.16]

Bump to keep track of. Please ping me if you get anything new on this, essecially a picture.

Thanks

[Iwo Jima]

This is not our sniper. Our sniper has an intimate knowledge of the lay of the land based on years of usage. He also knows police procedures and how to counteract them. Our guy is a home grown terrorist.

[Aquinasfan]

Let me guess - he is not a Frenchman, he is a French man, ie: a French citizen from, say, North Africa?

Hmmm.... Why would they not mention that? < /sarcasm>