SNIPER ESCAPE BID FBI agents grab him as he flees

newsoftheworld ^ | 10/25/2002 | newsoftheworld

[TLBSHOW]

SNIPER ESCAPE BID FBI agents grab him as he flees

THE 17-year-old Washington sniper made a dramatic freedom bid—by punching his way through the CEILING of an interview room.

John Lee Malvo seized his chance after being left alone by FBI interrogators.

He leapt on a table and quickly smashed the flimsy ceiling tiles with his fists—then began hauling himself up into a ventilation shaft.

Agents dashed into the room, grabbed his flailing legs and wrenched the struggling teenager back down.

Last night the FBI refused to comment on the embarrassing incident at the "secure" and secret federal centre in Baltimore, Maryland.

Malvo and fellow sniper John Muhammad, 41—who face the death penalty in seven different jurisdictions —are refusing to help enquiries into their reign of terror in the US capital.

Posed

One agent said: "Never mind co-operation. They're not even talking."

The pair—who killed ten and wounded three in a 21-day spree— could also be charged with an unsolved murder on America's west coast.

Keenya Cook, 21, was killed in February with a single head shot as she opened her front door in Tacoma, Washington State, where Muhammad and Malvo were living at the time.

The assassins were friends with her family—and even posed for the now infamous picture together on their sofa.

But ex-Army marksman Muhammad, who changed his name from Williams because he converted to Islam, fell out with the Cooks when they befriended his ex-wife.

Claims of warnings about the pair to police BEFORE the killings started were piling up last night.

The Rev Al Archer, who runs the Lighthouse Mission Centre in Bellingham where the pair once lived, said he suspected the Gulf War veteran was a terrorist after September 11.

He said Muhammad distributed pro-Islam brochures, made anti-American slurs and also threatened to kill cops. He added: "If he'd been stopped at that time, a lot of people would be alive who are now dead."

Mr Archer revealed that Muhammad, who was existing on handouts, started travelling extensively by air. Harjeep Singh, who knew the snipers at a YMCA gym, said he was alarmed at their vow to go on a gun-rampage, targetting cops and fuel tankers.

Police and an FBI agent interviewed Mr Singh but no action was taken.

There were also chilling new revelations last night about how Malvo and Muhammad mocked police by repeatedly slipping through dragnets.

Their 1990 blue Chevrolet Caprice— a killing machine with holes in the boot to fire through—was first noted by police on October 3, just 24 hours after the first killing. But it was lost in the system while the entire hunt centred on a white van.

Meanwhile, Muhammad was stopped or spoken to by officers TEN times for various traffic offences.

During a spot-check on October 8, he was parked and asleep at the wheel. But cops failed to look in the boot, where they would have found the Bushmaster XM15 rifle.

The most chilling escape was last Monday when two illegal immigrants in a white van were held in a swoop as they used a phone booth being staked out by cops.

Muhammad and Malvo had given the number of the booth to detectives in a phone call. And just yards away, they were lurking in their blue Chevy, watching every move in the fiasco.

The car was even caught in the background on news footage—and still the jigsaw did not piece together.

Finally, police realised the car they were looking for. But Chief Charles Moose refused to reveal the number plate. It was only when one of his team leaked it that the pair were found one-and-a-half hours later.

[Mfkmmof4]

Did it ever occur to anyone that had the license plate number been announced by the media that the snipers could have dumped the car or changed the license plate number and gotten away???????????? Give Moose and others behind the capture of these animals some credit. I lived the lock down and fear of being shot because I am a PG County resident and school employee so I give Moose and the rest many kudos.

[HiTech RedNeck]

K-k-k-k-k-k-keystone cops!

How could the cops at the road blocks miss a vehicle with a hole that appeared not rusted, but CUT, in its trunk?

[lsee]

after being left alone by FBI interrogators

Oops!

Slippery little bast**d!

[HiTech RedNeck]

(AND, whose plates had been run 10 times at the dragnet road blocks before it was caught. Keystone! Keystone! Keystone!)

[TexKat]

Moose refused to reveal the number plate. It was only when one of his team leaked it that the pair were found one-and-a-half hours later

If I remember correctly, the license plate number and make of car wasgiven out earlier that evening by Moose in the last news conference.

[APBaer]

I saw somewhere that there were two holes one for the barrel and one for the scope

[randita]

Wonder how long the media will keep it under wraps that these two were members of a gang called the Five Percenters loosely affiliated with the Nation of Islam.

And that the two were highly influenced by the hip hop message (many of whom are Five percenters) of violence and hatred of whites.

I don't think these two were associated with Al Queda--other than sharing their same anti-American views.

I think they bought into a very destructive cult message--that carried by hip hop and rap artists--and decided to act on it. And they also may have been involved in transporting or selling drugs.

Just my take, for what it's worth.

[valkyrieanne]

Chain him up next time.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

these two were members of a gang called the Five Percenters

Well, if true, that certainly explains the "I am God" bit on the Tarot Card.

Thanks for the insight. Wonder if it'll pan out...

[Wondervixen]

I say we should have a deputy with an unloaded weapon on his hip near enough to Malvo that he wants to take a chance at it...Give the other deputies a reason to unload on him!

[paul51]

I'm surprised (disappointed) he wasn't injured in his escape attempt.

[Nachum]

I hope the FBI agents beat the sh*t out of him when they caught him. I pray the two scumbags a scragged in their cells before the little slimeballs come to trial.

If they were financed by other muslims, it will come out anyway.

[monday]

"Finally, police realised the car they were looking for. But Chief Charles Moose refused to reveal the number plate. "

This goes beyond incompetence. Was he hoping they would get away?

[monday]

"Did it ever occur to anyone that had the license plate number been announced by the media that the snipers could have dumped the car or changed the license plate number and gotten away???????????? "

Did it occur to you that unless the license plate number had been leaked to the media that they would have gotten away?

If they were smart enough to change the license plates they would have done it already. If they were smart they would have several sets and changed them daily.

I give Moose no credit what so ever. He is incompetent or worse.

[monday]

"If I remember correctly, the license plate number and make of car wasgiven out earlier that evening by Moose in the last news conference."

No it was leaked to a radio station by another investigator. Thank G*d they were not all idiots.

[TLBSHOW]

I still wonder how many Islam terrorist are on the inside in the govt and the police forces across the country.

[TLBSHOW]

they were part of the Nation of Islam says the un American louie.

[timestax]

I heard on one T.V. show, I believe Fox that there is some suspicion whether Malvo is REALLY 17 years of age, or really 19. On some of the recent filmclips he looks like a good 22 at least...another one of their lies??maybe??!

[demkicker]

"Did it ever occur to anyone that had the license plate number been announced by the media that the snipers could have dumped the car or changed the license plate number and gotten away????????????"

I suppose they could have dumped the car, but the fact is that they knew who owned the car and could have found out who was using the car. The snipers would have become the hunted instead of the hunters.

I happen to think it was a mistake not to give the public information that could have expedited their capture. It's very clear that had the truck driver not had the license plate number, make and model of the car, at least one more family (if not more) would be burying another loved one.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

looks like he is second thoughts on the whole martyr thing