Posted on 10/15/2002 10:09:05 AM PDT by Maceman
The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that an alQaeda cell is conducting a sniper operation carried our by two or three two-man teams. Such as strategy would have many advantage for alQaeda:
* It would confound the police, and make their job geometrically more difficult.
* Conflicting witness reports (since the witnesses are seeing different teams) would keep law enforcement scrambling and chasing false leads for a long time.
* It would create a climate of terror in the population.
* It would cause economic dislocation as people curtail their activities to the greatest extent possible.
* The teams could stay local, thereby remaining in their comfort zones.
* The team could operate for a long time -- operating at any pace it wants including going dormant for a time.
* It would be a great percursor to a larger attack, in terms of softening up the public and diverting law enforcement resources.
* From all accounts, the shooter(s) need not have a lot of training to operate at their current skill levels.
* The odds of not getting caught appear high, which means that you don't need to recruit suicide bombers. I have read reports that al Qaedas suicide bombers are mostly dim bulbs. Moreover, telling someone they probably won't die HAS to be an easier recruitment pitch.
"Ballistic evidence has conclusively linked this case to the other murders in the area."
I think that you are right on track.
That statement could simply mean that the shootings are all done using the same type of ammunition.
I could be wrong, but I don't believe anyone has established that the exact same rifle was used in all these killings. Same type, sure, but is anyone really saying "same rifle" especially since fragments is all they are getting.
It wouldn't, but what advantage is gained by having multiple people using the same weapon?
What features of these attacks are supposed to be explained by the multiple gunman theory?
isn't it frightening that someone with a twenty cent bullet could shut down every escape route out of DC?
Mainly the fact that two different vehicles have been identified by multiple witnesses and LE has released "sketches" of both vehicles.
I suppose it could be one guy with more than one vehicle. Maybe he gets the vehicles from a carpool?
Excellent point. Is this why the shootings occur often during rush hour?
I think the same thing every time someone going through a checkpoint at the airport can cause kneejerk officials to evacuate the entire airport. This creates throngs of people outside the terminal where they could be subject to further attack.
It was reported the terrorists in Bali had a small diversion bomb that did not go off. The idea was to force everyone out in the street with the small bomb, where they would be killed by the second, larger bomb.
I saw the press conference (and endless others before this). When pressed to explain exactly what "ballistic evidence" they're talking about, LE has dodged. We've seen countless news fillers about the wonders of ballistic forensics, but as many have said on FR, it remains doubtful that the fragments recovered have specifically ID'd the exact weapon. Perhaps the matches are based more on metallurgy analysis than on markings.
Oh, my, no, especially the sort of handgun commonly chambered for a .223, such as a Thomson Contender or the old Remington XP or even a custom jobby. These typically are scoped and quite capable of 2 MOA or better.
Personally I suspect a carbine, myself. Many of these have extensible stocks and short barrels and would be ideal for vehicle employment - that's what they're designed for. But it could be pretty much anything - I don't know of any .223 rifle or pistol that wouldn't be perfectly adequate at 100 yds if properly maintained and employed by anyone who practiced.
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