Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Wednesday, Oct. 16

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 16, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

To avoid multiple vanity threads regarding any news from press conferences, let's keep a live commentary thread going again today.

[tabsternager]

One doesn't have to be an expert to know that the motive of muslim terrorists is to kill for Allah.

[tomkat]

bet the vision plan's good though, per occupational necessity ...

[berkeleybeej]

It is the site administrator's preference this thread be placed in Extended News

Forgive my stupidity....but I don't have "Extended News"...I think it used to be under the "Breaking News", but it's not there anymore. Help.

[NittanyLion]

Another element militating against terrorist activity is the lack of "splash" involved in sniping. Compare the impact of crashing the airplanes into the buildings with the recent spate of shootings. I am not saying terrorism is impossible in the current shootings just not too likely.

It's certainly terrorized folks in the DC area. And meanwhile the press and authorities are falling all over themselves to avoid the possibility that it could be terrorists. Just like anthrax, come to think of it.

Lots of splash equals widespread retaliation against terrorists abroad (and renewed efforts at home). Small scale attacks mean everyone assumes some homegrown nut, and the terrorists walk free, melt away, and resume attacks using a different mode in a different city. I think it's entirely plausible that this is terrorists (of course no one knows for sure).

[Peach]

Actually, I live in the south and feel thankful to be here.

[Peach]

You aren't stupid. Breaking news stays in the right hand column which details articles. Extended news is an article or vanity posted and it doesn't stay near the top. You have to conduct a search in the search engine to find these daily posts.

[Chemist_Geek]

While they may have a large inflow of cash, I bet a large amount of this goes to satellite phones, logistics, and properly placing someone in an area with the correct papers/ID. Then you have training, food for how many thousands?! That's IF these guys have a job. I bet in some cases the terrorists don't have a job when they get close to executing their plan. Add it all up, and that's a big burden for a shadow organization, even if they do get millions.

Not to mention Timex watches and Army jackets for senior management...

Yes, their ROI is pretty poor when one thinks about it. Where does Al-Qaeda get its money? (Apart from telethons on Saudi TV, that is...) Surely our intelligence agencies have been able to answer that, and interdict the flow of funding to the core terrorists.

These guys may have a regular job, if only for keeping themselves in food and safe house! If their flow of money has been cut off from the Al-Qaeda HQ, they will have to find a way to support themselves.

[Lion's Cub]

Yep, this is nonsense. When a child is kidnapped the composite is ready within hours - it's been 36 hours now and still no composite from these witnesses. And no partial plate number. What's taking so long?

Maybe they don't want to let any info out because they want to take down the whole cell.

It's also possible that these guys are so darn dangerous that the cops don't want to take a chance on any civilians getting too close or trying to check them out--maybe they expect the van to be filled with explosives, etc.

[tomkat]

iirc, the last gas station hit was in the rain (fredericksburg ?),
or maybe it was just raining here that day.

it's all beginning to blur ...

all: exAF general on fnc just said he's leaning toward 'ideological terrorism' as opposed to 'criminal terrorism'

believe his name is McInnerny (sp)

[berkeleybeej]

Thank you very much.

[Sacajaweau]

We can guess tomorrow, the next day, the next day..etc..

The questions are where and what size holes in the net we spread. Obviuosly, the holes are too big to date.

Sac

[mhking]

considering that past events transpired on Monday - Wednesday - Friday

I'm afraid you might be right, though I pray otherwise. Everyone, please stay safe and stay alert!

[CJ Wolf]

I think the tarot card was left by a seventh grader or two who goes to the school and was left perhaps days before when they held some kind of 'fun' afterschool readings in the nearby woods experimenting with the occult. The policemen note was written after a they were harrased for skateboarding in the giant parkinglot. In the hope of occult type revenge, I doubt it's related and is why the cops didn't want it to get out.

Just my thoughts on it. Anyone know how the kid is doing?

[mhking]

Could you coordinate an attack like that without radio communications?

In this day and age? Cell phones - and barring that, land lines. There are still enough pay phones out there that could be used.

[ThinkingMan]

My personal opinion-
1) This is the work of ME terrorists. There are training tapes that show it, the attacks are to organized for a lone looney, it is in fact a military type of operation.

2) Shootings in that particular part of the country are over for at least a week, the risk of getting caught is just too high. They may pick up briefly around Christmas shopping season again, once everything has settled down. (Day after Thanksgiving?)

3) Do not be suprised if this pops up in a different part of the country- there have been NO attacks on the west-coast. LA, San Diego and Seattle seem like likely targets to me. Possibly Denver, Omaha, Minneapolis- some place where it would not be expected.

[Chemist_Geek]

Didn't some of the Euro commie terrorists and American commie and racist terrorists do bank robbery and kidnapping-for-ransom during the 1970s and 80s?

[mhking]

authorities have played down the Islamic terrorism angle to avoid mass "panic" in the area, an ATF official told WorldNetDaily.

That fits in with what I've heard from various folks...

[NittanyLion]

Maybe they don't want to let any info out because they want to take down the whole cell. It's also possible that these guys are so darn dangerous that the cops don't want to take a chance on any civilians getting too close or trying to check them out--maybe they expect the van to be filled with explosives, etc.

Good points. But absent this info being presented to the public, I don't see how this (these?) snipers will ever be caught. They're dictating the playing field and conditions, and I suspect no roadblocks will stop them. An aware public seems to me to be the best method. Bet it'll seem the same to the family of the next victim.

If the feds roll up an entire cell in the area, I'll happily admit I was wrong...

[ET(end tyranny)]

Right we have to make sure there is space in breaking news for such items as Saddam winning presidential referendum! LOL

[conservativejunkie]

I agree, These guys are long gone. I don't believe we will see any more shootings. They changed thier MO in this last shooting to say to LE, IN YOUR FACE! Does anyone know if there is a mosque near this home depot or for that matter around all the shooting sites? I really belive we are dealing with some kind of foriegn terr.