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.

[unending thunder]

"They are saying this morning that the Pentagon is looking into soldiers who have recently attended sniper school.
I'd only buy this disgruntled soldier story if all the victims were Canadians.

[4Freedom]

If the al-Qaida followed your logic, they wouldn't attack commercial airliners, because they'd be afraid of declining sales of jet fuel.

Wouldn't you agree?

[Chapita]

I've been saying all along, on other threads, that I suspect Palestinians who are experienced with Israeli police.

[4Freedom]

Do you believe that air travel is up or down since 9/11/2001?

[Tree of Liberty]

The Torat card could also be a message to other Al Quaeda.

Probably not the case since the note also said to not release the existance of the card to the press/public.

[unending thunder]

"I am curious about the Evening Standard
Many people are. It is an afternoon paper confined to London, purchased for gossip and jobs. Has the weight of the Downtownpallookaville Herald, mainloy re-cycled news from the dailies. Very unreliable about London news so they know diddly sq abt the US of A.

[savedbygrace]

This killer has to do things like saunter into Fredericksburg unnoticed, shoot a man pumping gas 50 ft from a uniformed officer,

It was 50 yards, and the officer was occupied at the time. But more to your point, Muslims and AQ types are not just Arabic-looking people.

and saunter right back out through the dragnet without drawing any attention while carrying an assault rifle.....

An assault rifle? Boy, are you on the wrong forum. ;-)

[Grover_Cleveland]

Dear MadIvan,

You're a very alert kind of guy :)

Every post of yours I see carries some kind of "alert". How charming.

[tomkat]

not surprising, as i'm typically behind the curve, and age ain't helpin' any     

bottom line is, they're just different strains of the same pestilence ...

[4Freedom]

"An Al Qaeda terrorist would have no reason whatsoever to go back to the same location like that."

What if the terrorist felt that members of the community believed they were safe now, because they surmised that the shooter never struck the same place twice?

Terrorism = nobody is safe anywhere, anytime.

[4Freedom]

Do you believe jet fuel consumption is up or down since 9/11/2001?

[Carlucci]

I heard somewhere that "I am God" is a difficulty setting on a video game, maybe a first-person shooter like "Duke Nuke'm" or "Wolfenstein".

Can anyone confirm this?

[Sender]

Yes! The tarot card, chosen as a heathen symbol of the infidel West, specifically the death card, with a message "not to tell the media"??? When they know that the US media eventually gets and televises everything endlessly?!?

This could definitely be an activation message. I have no doubt that the "sniper" is in fact a team or teams of enemy soldiers on our soil, right now. Here's hoping that the powers that be realize that soon.

[Thane_Banquo]

Problem is the DC police are still looking for a domestic white male because they don't want to be seens as racially profiling. We want to stop the guy from killing more people, but we don't want to offend him.

[Sender]

Not two people committing random murder at all...two or more enemy teams committing a calculated plan of terror all around the leading politicians of this country.

Don'cha think it's interesting that it's happening in DC, at a time of worldwide al Qaeda activation? Sorry but this smacks of a sleeper cell, not some looney or ex-GI.

[Man of the Right]

Thanks, Ivan. In the wake of 9-11, I don't believe in so-called coincidences involving terrorism, epidemics, and new, just-inspected airliners falling apart in the sky.

[4Freedom]

"...,Muslims and AQ types are not just Arabic-looking people."

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.

There's a whole lot of Philippino and Indonesian Muslims that are candidates for this kind of operation, too.

[Olydawg]

3) I would like to add that perhaps thought should be given to the majority of the shootings happening around "oil" supplies...gas...hmm...now let's see, who has the oil, and who buys the oil.

Except most of the shooting weren't around gas stations. Only three were. Try again.

[Dialup Llama]

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

No **** Sherlock. The Llama told you this first on FR and he's not even a profiler.

www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/766035/posts?page=83#83
>>This sniper must be a sexist, though. Otherwise, the sniper would have written, "Dear Police Officer:". (Come to think of it, shouldn't the salutation be plural?)
>No way did a native English speaker come up with that stilted phraseology. (To borrow a page from the anthrax letter investingation)

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

If I was a Jihadist commando intent on disrupting things, (note, he is not a suicide type) I would be doing all kinds of things to throw off the defense. Dropping various shell casings, changing vehicles, changing locations, changing MO's. You're here shooting people all over the place, why would dropping a tarot card be out of bounds?

The idea is to cause destruction for as long as possible and NOT get caught.