I THINK THE SNIPERS ARE AL QAEDA

Various Cable Networks ^ | 11 October 2002 | Myself

[LSUfan]

I'm watching this sniper coverage on the cable networks and everyone is so sure that this is a nut of some sort: a gun nut, a military nut, a serial killer, etc.

But we have evidence to indicate that there is more than one. Two nuts? The President of the Marine Scout Sniper Assoc was just on MSNBC and said that he is sure that the shooter isn't alone because he doubts that anyone could stalk, lay-up, take the shot, egress and just drive off in his minivan.

So now they have all the wonderful psychological profilers on...including some 300 lb private detective...and they are all talking about this like these guys are deranged or disturbed. They all refer to "spree" killers and "serial" killers.

Excuse me, but I'd like to see the list of serial killing TEAMS in American history! And I'd like to learn more about the spree killers who take 10 shots, get 10 kills, including one within 50 yards of a state trooper in plain sight and then vanish without a trace.

These guys have training, motivation, and resources and they are operating as a team. The fact that they shot with the cop right there tells me they were totally confident. I believe they plan these like operations, script them, rehearse them, conduct recons and then execute them LIKE OPERATIONS.

Who does that sound like to you?

Why isn't the media even thinking about the Islamic terrorism angle?

Also: this sniper was taking a big chance with daylight attacks in an urban environment, including one with a cop in plain sight. That (to me) implies that he has area security and avenues of egress and methods of egress covered. That's a lot easier to do in a daylight urban scenario if you have a team, as opposed to a lone gunman.

The fact that these attacks occurred just as the tanker was blown up in Yemen also makes me suspicious. Not to mention the 1 year anniversary of Enduring Freedom.

Just talked to a close friend who is with a DC think tank and is also a retired Col. of Marines. He is tuned in to law enforcement in the DC area as well as he is also a director of a company that sells computer equipment designed for tactical and security use. He has personal and professional contacts with law enforcement in the DC area. Also, his wife was two blocks away from one of the shootings when it happened, and in fact when he heard that a woman in her 30s had been killed in that particular spot while vacuuming her vehicle, he was extremely worried, because that fit her description. He couldn't reach her by phone for a good 15 minutes.

In general: it should be remembered that the month of October was the month in which Sheikh Omar Abdel al-Rahman, OBL's favorite mullah, and a top OBL lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Also, October was the month in which we started our assault on the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

These aren't some bad militia boys who got into some bad moonshine...these guys aren't shooting up the countryside. They're likely conducting recon, setting up their shots and bugging out to live to do it again. My friend tells me that terrorism is definitely on everyone's lips and minds and that the Feds have involved in this out the ying yang from the get go...BATF, FBI...even Secret Service because of the proximity to DC.

My buddy points out that Al Qaeda said specifically that it would target schools, so this might be the start of something.

GET THIS:

Two of the shots were HEAD SHOTS at a moving target at 150 meters. While a tourso shot at 150 meters is not a terribly hard shot for someone with training, a HEAD SHOT at 150 meters on a moving target would be a virtually impossible shot for a nut with no training. Next time you go to the gun show, take a look at the guy to your left and the guy to your right. Chances are, unless they grew up hunting or were in the military, you'd be pretty safe if they took a shot at you at 150yds while you were moving. Hint: Marines qualify out to the 500 yard line with the M16A2. That is what training will do. I qualified expert and am still an avid shooter today. I shoot a heavy barrel AR15A2 in 5.56mm and a National Match M1A in 7.62 NATO. I am NOT at all confident that I could get a head shot on a moving target at 150 meters. In fact...I would not even try. I would shoot center of mass. What all this indicates is a very highly trained shooter with good gear and most likely a spotter.

And GET THIS as well:

My buddy tells me that the FBI al Qaeda profilers have been predicting some sort of random attack as a contrast to 9-11. Something that sends the message: "no one anywhere is safe from us." al Qaeda has specifically said that they have the right to kill hundreds of thousands of "American children." This fits in with the critique of the al Qaeda training video that came out not long ago.

Here is another coincidence (?): In his Oct 4th column, Bill Gertz of the Washington Times said: "U.S. intelligence agencies received reports this week indicating Islamic terrorists have targeted American schools for attack, intelligence officials said. The reports indicate that the targeting includes plans to attack all levels of educational institutions in the United States, ranging from elementary schools to colleges and universities, said officials familiar with the reports." One of the victims was a 13 year old schoolboy.

Now REALLY GET THIS:

In the public release, law enforecemnt has not mentioned any race or ethnicity of the perps. But the unclassified bulletin that is being circulated by the Feds describes says that one of the local deputies got a description of two "Hispanics" but the feds think the guy just profiled them as Hispanics from law enforcement experience and that the two could easily be Middle Eastern. My buddy did not know if the deputy saw the perps himself or took a description from witnesses. The original vehicle was described as a white delivery van and today the suspect vehicle was a white Chevy Astro Van (but if these guys are pros like everyone thinks, neither vehicle will be showing up again).

A few more interesting insights from my friend:

The killer (or killers) must have felt secure in his surroundings. Most of the killings happened on or near busy main avenues during rush hour.

To say nothing of the fact that the region is crawling with law enforcement of every kind, being so close to the nation's capital.

Obviously it's someone who has murdered before or has been trained and conditioned to kill people. My buddy doubts many first-time killers, to say nothing of social outcasts or sickos, would have the nerve to kill with a single shot, then drive to another location within a half-hour, then kill again with another single shot.

Notably, all the areas of the killings are highly integrated racially. Had the killings been two miles west or south, they would have been in practically all-white or all-black neighborhoods, respectively, so a non-white/non-black killer (i.e., Middle Eastern) would not have been noticed in the areas in question.

Finally, the coincidental timing of these two incidents is another reason to suspect al Qaeda terrorism. Blow up a ship at the same time they're plinking away at innocent civilians...

If they haven't already done so, the cops and Feds need to bring in some guys from the Scout-Sniper School in Quantico to analyze this thing. Most law enforcement snipers don't think like the guys who did these horrible acts. And street cops certainly do not. The best way to get a sniper is with another sniper. The Marine snipers are the best in the world.

[wrench]

"How much more effective are they in a city where people are not at war? "

according to our president, we are at war. And the congress just gave him authorization to prosecute it further....

[EnquiringMind]

RAT Patrol wrote:
Would an Islamic say "I am god" or "I am Allah?"

No one has actually seen the tarot card (besides LEO), so how do we know it didn't say "I am Allah"?

[ladyinred]

I am afraid that I have to agree with you. I am also confident that the feds are looking into the possibility too. We had the article on FR about a training tape of the terrorists, that had them practicing for this very kind of thing.

I keep hearing the perp described as an angry white male, but I am not convinced of that either. Do you think they would actually tell us they suspect terrorists, or will they just keep it quiet out of fear of the reaction of the public?

[aristeides]

Maybe in another week, the sniper will write up a "lessons learned" paper, type up a new chapter in the terrorist manual, and THEN we'll see 50 sniper teams throughout the US

Which is another reason to want to stop him as soon as possible.

[DBtoo]

I'm no expert on snipers, but I'm thinking the killer must be very skilled because of his ability not to be seen or heard.

[ladyinred]

Wouldn't they also be concerned about panic, not to mention how the economy would suffer? People would be inclined to stay inside more, no shopping, getting gas, going to movies, out to dinner, etc.

[seeker41]

The authorities can't stop them or they would have by now. 10 and counting, the perp(s) like a ghost.

[section9]

Could be. Remember it could be a "they". However, my contention that he or they need to be hunted, publicly, by Marine snipers is designed to encourage the perps to start making mistakes and looking over their shoulders.

If these guys are Arab Muslims, I'm banking on the possibility that this will be seen as a challenge to their manhood. They will also understand that Marine snipers aren't the same as a gaggle of LEO's hanging out at the Mr. Donut....

Don't get me wrong. LEO's are dedicated, brave people. But they won't instill fear in the perps like Marine Snipers will.

Oh, and for God's sake, you never do this covertly. It would be hideously idiotic for Bush to send in Marine Snipers only to have one killed by a State Trooper.

Oh yeah, and that National Guard idea? Please, no.

It's just that they're overmatched this time.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[ladyinred]

Interesting. And what about the 4-6 ME terrorists in the quarry practicing rifle shooting around the start of this. Was

Weren't there supposed to be 2 of them missing?

[Wondervixen]

I'd think it could be possible, but Islamic terrorists haven't been singular in terroristic pursuits up to this point. They tend to be organized in such a way that they'd be more of a mind to spread groups out all over the country to hit multiple regions. They would also be of a mind to want us to KNOW it was Islamic terrorism.

This guy (or guys) is just a nut.

[Wolfstar]

I can't help thinking the tarot card is a red herring. "Dear policeman, I am God." Come on. That sounds so juvenile and silly that it doesn't ring true to me. There is supposed to be more to the message, and I wonder if it is less juvenile in tone. Also, there have now been 10 shootings definitely ascribed to the same perp(s): one into a building, seven fatal and two wounded. Plus one in early September (one shot, one wounded man) that is being investigated as possibly linked to the other 10. As far as we know, a tarot card has been found only at the scene of the school shooting.

[Joe Hadenuf]

You bet, It at least seems worth a good try. A high altitude reconnaissance aircraft with wide angle, high resolutions camera's can see objects as small as a football and smaller depending on the altitude and the camera's used. Keep that bad boy up, let it orbit for several days, continuously taking pictures and video....

[aristeides]

Thanks for the Luxman reference, but I can't find the book on amazon.com. Have you misspelled the name or the title?

[SunnyUsa]

"Right, they often say "Praise be to Allah, the most merciful..." and so on, but to say "I am God" would be blasphemous coming from a "devout" muslim."

yea, but they also MURDER people all in the name of that PEACEFUL religion Islam....so nothing much makes sense about them - and they certainly aren't pious or religious in any normal sense.

[txhurl]

That's what I think, too, what good is a terrorist act with nobody claiming responsibility?

[aristeides]

They don't have to stand at the pump as targets. They can be told to keep moving, and they can be stationed in groups of two or three (with orders to start taking photos if anything untoward happens.)

[DBtoo]

I heard before Jihad they had to be clean of mind and soul for the last 24 hours. It's hard to tell what the real story is anymore. Yeah, the strip club thing doesn't make much sense.

[Godebert]

"No, Koenig was a real individual. He was head of the German sniper school. He was a full colonel. He was sent out when Sixth Army Command asked OKW for a sniper to go after Vassily Zaitsev, a Russian enlisted man who was making a name for himself in the streets of Stalingrad. When Koenig arrived, both armies knew that a duel was on. It was one of those great mano a mano battles that one saw very little of in the Second World War. Koenig's misfortune was that he made more mistakes than Zeitsev. "

What is your source for this information?

[Nogbad]

bump

[ladyinred]

OK; it's all conjecture, but this is the Metro DC area, the nation's capital. Emotionally similar to NYC.

Exactly. They also may be showing President Bush how they can pull this off right under his nose, so to speak.