Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Wed., Oct. 23,2002

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 23, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

Let's keep a live commentary thread going again today. The FBI Tip Line #1-888-324-9800.

All seems quiet since yesterday's news the shooter may target children specifically. It was released on various news outlets the shooter's 3-page letter to police was in broken English and threatened extreme violence. Police announced an electronic transfer of $10m as requested by the shooter was not possible but other options for transfer remain open. No one seriously believes police will actually give the shooter $$, but police are trying to keep a dialogue open with the shooter in an effort to capture this monster.

[iceskater]

Good morning. I am just getting caught up on this thread today. (Work was demanding my attention.)

Schools in Richmond are back - under lockdown - but attendance is supposedly pretty much normal. The hoopla is incredible though. I kind of wish the media wouldn't make such a big deal of it.

I've been wondering why the sniper hasn't ventured north towards the Balto area. Seems like he's keeping to the immediate DC area or S and W. Balto. is probably as easy to get to as Fredericksburg or Ashland. This has just been nagging at me for some reason.

[Yaelle]

He asked for a DOMESTIC bank transfer.

What is the source of this information?

I read it right here on FR this morning, either in one of the long articles posted (my memory is a sieve) or quoted in a post. I instantly changed my mind about the killer being a ME terrorist. Yesterday I had thought that the reason Moose et al were refusing to do the wire transfer was because it was to end up in some bank where even Interpol could not help us, like the national bank of Baghdad, or Syria, or something. And I was wishing the public could be informed of which country the money was to go to, so we would KNOW this was terrorism.

I will try to find that reference, if no one else has.

[bvw]

The Iraqis are different then the Saudis -- the Iraqis love to lie and play mind games ... the Saudis do it to the kaafirs like us as a religious obligation.

[Darlin']

I agree with you. If killing was his only objective or provided the thrill he would not kill them from a distance. I don't really think it is just about money either. I've been comvinced he was a Middle Easterner but after reading the language he reportedly used when he made the calls he sounds more like a homegrown control freak. Maybe a ME sympathizer.

[BaghdadBarney]

Granted but... in those parts of PA, you can peg a stranger a heck of a lot easier than you can farther south into Maryland, DC, Virginia. I don't think I'm jumping out on a limb when I says this guy is probably a MD, VA, DC resident with a car/van/whatever with MD, VA, DC plates. Could he have planned for a move into PA with a spare PA plate? sure, but I doubt it.

[Yaelle]

I think we are smarter than he is! Your idea that this is a dig by Saddam is too clever! No, we are giving this guy too much credit.

[Yaelle]

LOL, into his Paypal account! Using his email address iamgod@sniperdotcom!

[freeperfromnj]

So he really must be stupid if he thinks he'd ever see that money.

That's exactly why it's not a loner. An organized terror cell would have a lot more leverage than a lone gunman and would have a better chance of pulling this off. The threat would be greater and potentially could become more widespread

[Helms]

Thank you. Seems to me that there is a growing and impressive amount of info. to substantiate a conclusion which we all would like to ignore but cannot afford to.

[dinasour]

The missing french lieutenant...

Wow!

[ilgipper]

So he knows the roads. So does every taxi driver

Interesting. What countries do most taxi drivers usually originate from?

[TexKat]

News Conference should be coming up in about 5 minutes.

[wewillnotfail]

Actually the cause that pushed my dog over the edge was the report that Iran has banned dogs. He is obsessed with the idea that we must invade Iran to save his kin. This is his desperate attempt to provoke us to get on with the Iraq attack and then address his adgenda.... roll onward to Irag and avenenge the dogs!!!!

[AFPhys]

I am glad you replied as you did to the tinfoil representative. Someone had to point out the vivid, and disconnected, imagination at work.

[OReilly]

News Conference should be coming up in about 5 minutes.

wanna bet?

[RS_Rider]

Thought of something that may be of some interest to this thread. Recently there have been many thefts of uniforms, I.D. badges and so. Could it possibly be that this person is disguised as a LEO or an ambulance driver or some other individual that people don't take notice of.

RS

[dinasour]

Thanks.

[aristeides]

I believe I am the source of the information that the sniper asked to have the money transferred to a specified domestic account -- I think I said that on at least one of the threads this morning. My source was a radio report I heard this morning, probably on WMAL.

[Darlin']

"Here in So Florida, Democrat rumor has it that the sniper has been hired by Republicans to scare people into staying indoors on election day. They're buying this story, too. "

Well, no offense intended but the only people who'd believe something so preposterous are democrats. This same group couldn't read the most simple of ballots and became the ruse for those 36 days of misery.

[js1138]

the sniper asked to have the money transferred to a specified domestic account

And just how do you get the money out? (someone on another thread suggested that it would be automatically forwarded to an offshore account, but that would ring every bell in the treasury department -- not to mention it wouldn't be effective immediately)