Muslim arrested in Beltway case (John Muhammad)

WorldNetDaily ^ | October 24, 2002 | Art Moore

[Michael2001]

TACOMA, Wash. – Two men wanted for questioning in the D.C.-area sniper case were arrested early this morning at a rest stop near I-70 in the vicinity of Myersville, Md., about 45 miles northwest of the nation's capital, according to news reports.

John Allen Muhammad, 41, and stepson Lee Malvo, 17, were transported to Montgomery County, where the sniper task force is headquartered.

A rifle was found in Muhammad's car, reported WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.

Neighbors who several years ago lived near Muhammad in Tacoma, Wash., described him last night as the head of a devout Muslim family who was prone to domestic violence, according to Seattle's KOMO-TV.

Federal sources said Muhammad and Malvo were known to speak sympathetically about the men who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, but the officials believe neither man to be associated with the al-Qaida terrorist network, the Seattle Times reported.

In connection with the sniper case, however, the FBI reportedly is searching "Camp Ground Zero USA" in Marion, Ala., a militant Islamic training camp with possible links to al-Qaida. Last night Fox News reported that FBI sources said "they are not at liberty to comment" and cannot confirm or deny their agents are investigating the camp.

WorldNetDaily reported two days after the D.C.-area shootings began Oct. 2 that FBI profilers believed the case fit no regular category and could find no motive other than terrorism. The shootings, which have caused an economic slowdown in the area, started four days after al-Qaida warned the U.S. that it would strike economic targets, WND reported last Thursday. A former CIA operative told WND in a story published Saturday, that the nature of the killings and Pentagon involvement in the probe support the terrorism theory.

In March 1999, Muhammad abducted his children and took them to the Caribbean after separating from his wife earlier that year, KOMO said. The children, a 12-year-old son and two younger daughters, now reportedly are in protective custody in Maryland.

As the focus of the Maryland-based sniper probe moved to the Pacific Northwest yesterday, task force head Charles Moose announced that Muhammad, also known as John Allen Williams, was being sought for information related to the case.

Moose told reporters last night that it should not be assumed that Muhammad "is involved in any of the shootings we are investigating," but is wanted for federal firearms violations and may have information material to the sniper probe.

Muhammad, described as about 6 feet 1 and 180 pounds, was believed to be traveling with a juvenile and considered "armed and dangerous," Moose said.

The Montgomery County, Md., police chief also gave a message to the sniper.

Moose said "our inability to talk has been a concern for us as well as for you," noting several attempts to establish a connection.

"You have indicated that you wanted us to do and say certain things," Moose said in his message to the sniper. "You asked us to say, 'We have caught the sniper like a duck in a noose.' We understand that hearing us say this is important to you."

The solution, Moose said, "remains to call us and get a private toll free number established," or write to a post office box address.

The police chief's references apparently were related to a note found at the site of Saturday's shooting near Richmond, Va., and another at Tuesday's Montgomery County attack both of which included a demand for $10 million.

Seattle's KOMO radio reports that Muhammad is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.

A former soldier who says he recognized Muhammad in a photo on TV news last night said he served with Muhammad in the Army.

Randy Lyons, of Bothell, Wash., told KING-TV that he knew Muhammad as an "outstanding soldier" who had a "very pretty wife and kids."

Authorities said they also were searching for Muhammad's stepson, John Lee Malvo, a citizen of Jamaica, according to CNN and Fox News.

Fox said the two men are linked to a blue or burgundy 1990 Chevy Caprice with New Jersey license NDA-21Z, which matched the car in which they were found asleep.

Fox News also reported that warrants related to the D.C. case issued yesterday in Montgomery, Ala.

A telephone call from the sniper alerted investigators to look into a Sept. 21 fatal shooting at a liquor store in Montgomery, according to the Seattle Times.

An official said a piece of paper found at the Alabama shooting scene was traced to Malvo, who then was linked to a Tacoma house where he had been living with Muhammad.

Muhammad was based at nearby Fort Lewis, Wash., in 1994-95 and lived in a Tacoma neighborhood where a backyard search for ballistic material was conducted yesterday, according to Peggy Bellows, an editor for the Tacoma News Tribune.

FBI agents also conducted a search yesterday in Bellingham, Wash., related to two persons of interest in the D.C. sniper case, at least one of whom is "not a U.S. national," according to the mayor of the city in northwestern Washington state.

Agents in Tacoma recovered two shell casings along with a tree stump with bullet holes in the backyard of a fourplex, said KOMO-TV in Seattle.

The material was to be transported by air to Washington, D.C., according to news reports.

Bellingham mayor Mark Asmundson told Seattle's KING-TV that his police department began cooperating yesterday morning with FBI agents interested in two men who were residents of the city, near the Canadian border, in the past year and a half.

One was a student at Bellingham High School and the other was an older man, according to Asmundson.

A KOMO-TV report later confirmed that the student was Malvo.

The two were most recently in Bellingham nine months ago, Asmundson said.

"Being near the border, we've had our share of unusual characters in Bellingham," Asmundson said.

In Tacoma, sources confirmed that the search there was related to the D.C. sniper case, according to KIRO-TV.

Fort Lewis spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Piek said the FBI had asked for help from the base, KOMO-TV reported.

The backyard search was conducted by consent of the property owner, said FBI spokesperson Melissa Mallon on the scene late yesterday afternoon. Local television news reports said the owner is not a person of interest.

"There is no immediate danger for anybody in this neighborhood," Mallon said. "If there were, we would let people know."

Tacoma mayor Bill Baarsma said in an interview with KING-TV in Seattle that he was called out of a meeting at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday to be met by the FBI.

"It was a day of irony for me, because I was called out of a meeting about how to cope with a terrorist attack," he said.

[Michael2001]

WorldNetDaily are the only ones willing to report this for what it is. The networks are handling the Muslim issue with kid gloves. I haven't even heard CNN mention it, even though they acknowledge the guys name is Muhammad.

Everybody in America sees this link, except for our so called experts.

[anniegetyourgun]

Yep, just what everyone wants it to be - two Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia who are a part of Al-Queda who are here on expired visas and received their training in Pakistan.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Oh, they see it. But they won't report it. Not even Fox.

But they ARE starting to play up that this guy had military training.

The oh so PC media is rapidly turning this story into a "the military must be evil--it cranks out serial killers" hatchet job.

[oldvike]

You can actually hear the dissapointment in all the media members' voices that the killer is not some white militia member.

[rightwingextremist1776]

Looks like they got them. More peace and love from the peace loving religion of Islam. And all this time I thought it was an angry White man in his 30s < /sarcasm>. I understand they have warm feelings for the Sept. 11th hijackers. Time to start putting some economic pressure on this crowd. I for one will not be buying from anyone named Muhammad. These people need to start learning to police their own. I don't care if these scumbags were converted Americans or not. They still are part of the Islamic community. This is all part of a whole of Islamic terrorism.

[Michael2001]

I guess Falwell was right when he called Muhammad a terrorist.

[FLAUSA]

The other item that the news media is focusing on is the training camp in Alabama. I expect to see a lot more coverage on this. By the time this is done spinning the blame will be placed on Southern white guys in pick up trucks. It is also interesting that nowhere in the article is the shooter's race mentioned. In the local papers if a perps race is not mentioned, we assume the perp is black, and we are usually right.

[dd5339]

ABC is reporting that the feds were already looking for these two on federal weapons charges. Anyone heard what the deal was with that?

Semper Fi

[DumpsterDiver]

In case anyone is interested, there is a difference between Islam and the Nation of Islam. (And if no one is interested, then please just ignore this post.)

The Nation of Islam Exposed

Abusing The Word Islam

[Sender]

I know. Even on Fox friends, one of the "experts" was already backpedaling, retreating into a PC cover. "What concerns me is that there could be a...backlash, against, you know, certain groups or even...religious affiliations...and we must not do that."

[js1138]

officials believe neither man to be associated with the al-Qaida terrorist network

What does it take to be "associated"? I mean do they carry membership cards? Why were they in Washington State? The climate?

[Monty22]

"Yep, just what everyone wants it to be - two Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia who are a part of Al-Queda who are here on expired visas and received their training in Pakistan."

Yeah, funny how the religion of peace always ends up doing so much violence.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Diane Sawyer and Chuck Gibson are inconsolable this morning. They were hoping and praying for another Timothy McVeigh.

[Scarlet_Pimpernil]

Thank You for saying what I am thinking...I watch the news and feel like I am in some modern rendition of the fairy tale about the king who has no clothes

Why don't they report something useful, like how many camps like this camp ground zero are out there, where they are, and..... well, why they are? According to the liberal media we were holding all these folks in jauil agains there will already...

[Jeff Head]

Trav, IMHO you called this type of thing months and months ago.

People don't undrerstand that you don't have to be an "official" member of the terror group to be a terrorist for them.

We'll see where the ties lead ... but the fact that he is radical, spoke highly of their mass murder and agrees with their interpertation of their religion is all that is required with these people to send them off to war ... against our wives, our children and all of us.

He is a terrorist and this is clearly directly terror related IMHO ... I pray the government, irrespective of their pronouncements to the public, sees it for what it is and takes it that way. I pray they would enlist the citizens in helping prevent these issues rather than trying to keep "the herd" in the dark.

How many of those people exist do you suppose in this country? In Islam ... a lot ... and Islam isn't just "over there" anymore. There are millions in the pool here.

I hope this guy and his accomplices fry. If the rifle matches, I will believe they got him for sure. I pray they got them all in this little band (aka cell). I pray others don't begin popping up all over.

ARM THE PEOPLE - NOW!

Mind your knot ... check six.

[Guenevere]

Agree!

EVEN ON FOX.

The guy is Muslim.....

..converted to Islam YEARS ago.....

..and the talking heads are STILL wondering what the motive is....

SHEEESH!

[Scarlet_Pimpernil]

Now just what God does an objective journalist pray to like Diane Sawyer? Mother Earth? Allah? her plastic surgeion?

[twigs]

That was Bob Bevelequa? He was one of my favorite military consultants after 9/11, but he stunned me when he said that. He's not usually so PC. Made me wonder if he either has converted or is thinking of it.

[Sabertooth]

People don't undrerstand that you don't have to be an "official" member of the terror group to be a terrorist for them.

We'll see where the ties lead ...

It's early yet... as this investigation unfolds, keep an eye out for the word : "Jamaat," as in Jamaat al Fuqra, Jamaat al Islam, or Jamaat al Tabligh. They are front groups for elements within Pakistan's ISI that are shoulder to shoulder with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Other camps like this have been linked to Pakistan, so we'll see. Check this out...

Amongst the alleged members of the TJ (Tablighi Jamaat) in the Muslim community in the US is Mr.Louis Fara Khan, the Black Muslim leader. The TJ operates in the US and the Caribbean directly through its own preachers deputed from Pakistan and also recruited from the Pakistani immigrant community in the US as well as through front organisations such as the Jamaat-ul-Fuqra founded in the 1980s under the leadership of Sheikh Mubarik Ali Gilani, who generally lives in Pakistan, but travels frequently to the US and the Caribbean.

The annual report on the Patterns of Global Terrorism during 1998 issued by the Counter-Terrorism Division of the US State Department states as follows of the Jamaat-ul-Fuqra: "Seeks to purify Islam through violence. Members have purchased isolated rural compounds in North America to live communally, practise their faith and insulate themselves from Western culture. Fuqra members have attacked a variety of targets that they view as enemies of Islam, including Muslims they regard as heretics and Hindus. Attacks during the 1980s included assassinations and fire bombings across the US. Fuqra members in the US have been convicted of criminal violations, including murder and fraud."
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