The DC Sniper Nest: None Dare Call it Terrorism

Sierra Times ^ | Oct 7, 02 | Analysis by J.J. Johnson

[SLB]

This will be one of those articles our enemies will try to pick apart in order to make the accusation that the author actually condones what is happening around the nation's capital. It's expected, since it's one of the few ways the left knows how to deal with such a dilemma. Fact is: There have been at least 11 shootings, with 5 confirmed fatalities so far in the Washington DC area. Since despite all the police chest pounding, they probably won't find a suspect by the time this is article is published, there will probably be more.

In our new War on Terrorism, none dare call it that. So let's call it what it really is - war, and deal with it on those terms.

This of course, will make the spin meisters even more upset, since nothing - absolutely nothing since September 11, 2001 will be called terrorism. Not the American Airlines flight over New York City a year ago, not the string of oil refinery explosions, unexplained train derailments, not the nutcases attacking Greyhound bus drivers, and heaven forbid - that Anthrax thing was an anomaly, just like the West Nile Virus and the new cases of malaria popping up in the same area of the shooting. Just individual crazed lunatics mind you, not terrorism.

Meanwhile, the war continues.

If it hasn't dawned on you that this is an actual war in progress on our own soil (don't worry - it's not terrorism unless we tell you), take a look at the affect one lone sniper has had on the social infrastructure of the DC suburbs:

MARYLAND: Anne Arundel County Schools: . All schools locked . After-school activities canceled . After-school childcare will be provided . No evening high school classes . Indoor recess and activities

Baltimore City Schools: . No afternoon pre-kindergarten . No outdoor after-school athletic events; indoor events will be held

Calvert County Schools: . Students being kept inside schools . No after-school activities

Charles County Schools: . Heightened security . Students kept indoors . After-school activities canceled . Tuesday field trips canceled

Frederick County Schools: . Lockdown status . No students allowed outside

Howard County Schools: . Modified lockdown status . No afternoon kindergarten or special education . No outdoor recess or activities

Montgomery County Schools: . Code Blue status . No afternoon pre-k or kindergarten . Extra security in schools . All field trips canceled . Indoor recess and lunch . All after-school activities canceled

Prince George's County Schools: . Code Blue status . All outdoor activities canceled . Indoor recess and lunch . No outdoor after-school activities . No afternoon pre-kindergarten . All school doors monitored by security . Increased police presence in schools

Queen Anne's County Schools: . No after-school activities

DISTRICT: D.C. Schools: . No outdoor lunch or recess . No outdoor after-school activities . All field trips canceled

Archdiocese of Washington Schools: . No outdoor lunch or recess . No afternoon kindergarten or activities . Aftercare will be provided

VIRGINIA: Alexandria City Schools: . No outdoor recess or physical education classes . After-school activities canceled . Increased police presence for dismissals

Arlington County Schools: . All outdoor after-school activities canceled . Indoor after-school activities will be held

Caroline County Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled

Fairfax County Schools: . No outdoor activities

Falls Church City Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled . Police officers at each school

Fredericksburg City Schools: . Lockdown status . No after-school activities

King George County Schools: . Lockdown status

Loudoun County Schools: . Heightened state of alert . Outdoor activities at each principal's discretion

Manassas City Schools: . Limited lockdown status . No outdoor recess or activities

Prince William County Schools: . No outdoor after-school activities Monday or Tuesday

Spotsylvania County Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled

Stafford County Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled

Not bad for eleven rounds. Anyone want to take a guess how many of these students are children of federal employees? Now, let your brain spin. Here's a federal government planning for war, importing and exporting no goods on its western flank, and with a market in a steady freefall, and yet to even submit a budget this fiscal year. But none of that will be on their minds when they wake up - only: who's next?

Just like September 11 - brilliant war tactics. Then again, as any sniper can tell you, psychological terror is a bi-product of this time-tested, lethal art. The only thing America has going for it right now is that there is only one. Surely the profilers are trying to figure out some way of saying this lone gunman is some nut - some crazy white guy that gets a monthly high from reading Soldier of Fortune, probably hates the New World Order, and is of course, a believer in the Second Amendment, Turner Diaries, etc.. This profile (soon to come, I'm sure) will give some antigun nuts a second wind, attempting to get more gun legislation passed.

C'mon - you know this is coming, don't you?

Lest we forget that the state of Maryland already has some of the most draconian gun laws in the nation. And no gun law will slow down this sniper. In fact, only the opposite is true.

We're dealing with a professional, someone who is becoming pretty good at one shot - one kill. This person is not firing several shots at random, and is deadly accurate. Our shooter knows how to take the shot, then relocate. Some amateur could not be this skilled working behind enemy lines, if you will and, knowing there is a dragnet out there, still hit his mark at least 10 times. According to authorities, there is no common pattern with the victims that are being chosen. So if we said the only thing the victims do have in common is that none are Muslim, that would be a stretch, wouldn't it?

If what many people fear turns out to be the case ("sniper jihad"), catching this critter may be difficult, and a few more may have to die to get a bead on this SOB. Not being a sniper expert, I'd say it will take all we have inside us if and when the next round is fired. But I recall something about hitting the ground, and get a good look in the direction where you heard the sound. If it were a war zone, the next line would be lay down cover fire, and fire teams should keep their 'field of fire' in mind, but we don't want to turn the Washington Suburbs into Washington, DC, now would we?

Our little sniper is operating in an enemy environment, but he is also operating in a relatively 'safe' environment. You see, the fact that we really are at war is a concept too many people haven't taken seriously yet, especially in east coast, antigun bastions such as suburban DC. Hence, only time will tell when suddenly concealed carry laws are lifted (or simply not enforced), so that the soldiers in this new war (the citizens), may have the means of neuturalizing such threats upon discovery.

Go ahead. Call me extreme. But attending all those funerals will get old real fast. Legislators can pass all the laws they want, but no police chief or sheriff wants to spend the rest of is time in office counting innocent bodies. I'd suggest the local police make a few inquires to the Pentagon on how to deal with this problem, not the FBI or ATF. No, I'm not calling for military intervention, but gathering background information on someone that clearly has a military background.

To put it bluntly, we've have a region of the country on the verge of societal shut down. The pundits prefer calling this a lone nut than dealing with the obvious.

This person is not a 'right-wing' lunatic. This person is not a terrorist. This is a solider - waging war on our own soil.

[river rat]

"... good soldiers maintain their humanity during conflict"

A warrior's "humanity" or "compassion" can often be tempered by the enemy he faces...

You need only to find one brother - strung up by his elbows with his intestines lying at his feet, partially skinned alive --- and you will become a different person than the one your mother raised....

To stay alive, and extract revenge - can become VERY important....

Men that could not later, forgive themselves or rationalize their actions - ended up as drunks, drug addicts or suicides. They are the uncounted KIAs whose names don't appear on the black stone wall.

But, we're getting way off topic... Just making the point, there are no rules for human behavior that can hold all men in "check" when faced with his own destruction.
Semper Fi

[harpseal]

A graphic showing the way different shot locating systems was posted on one of the threads it really has not been the focus of much discussion. I would expect that at least some of them are deployed in the area.

Stay well - stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

A whole lot of posts back on an earlier thread I was asked for my estimate of how many people could make the shots involved. I answered several million. The answer I gave was not a more detailed answer only because I have no idea how many rifle shooters there are in that area.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - yorktown

[Dead Dog]

Yah, the .50 cal shot was 2400 or so yards. The Canadians just broke his record, although they didn't do it with the Mah deuce. Hathcock made sevral shots to 1000 yards with his '.06.

[Dead Dog]

No offense intended but a .223 at a mere 500 yards only has about 200 ft-pds of energy left... sure at 1000 yards it will break paper and wreck havoc on a prairie dog but it is not quite the best choice for long range sniping at human sized targets.

None taken, I agree with your conclusion, that's why the Israelies use(d) the 300 WM. My point is any rifle, although not optimal, is usuable. Don't underestimate their range. Someone posted on a different thread that the 55 grain .223 was really only good out to 300-500 yards, but the .72 grain rounds are good to 600 yards. The 80 grain competition rounds is a hot rod and has an MV in excess of 3000fps. I believe it is a hand load only, and the length is outside of spec.

[Dead Dog]

I think if they could do better, they would do better. This is either a stop gap messure, something to cause death and carnage that is legistically simple, while better things are in the works. Or, it could be a backup plan to be executed when the rest of the cell gets busted, ie. Portland or Buffalo.

Actually, this is right up their alley. They've done similar things in Israel, not as Al-Quada but other militant Islamic groups (they share resources so they really are the same enemy). They also have a need to shed America's blood on American soil, as they've promised for over a year now. The duration, planning, and sterility of the crime does not fit a home grown nut-job.

[wardaddy]

Thanks Bella.

[wardaddy]

Thanks Cat!

[Squantos]

Oh yeah ....agree with all ya said. I have a few cases of the stuff...... that is why it stood out when I saw it. Many stores carry it across the nation. Just an observation I was sharing here on FR.

Stay Safe , Armed and CYA ToL !!

[Richard Axtell]

Who here is skeptical about the authenticity of this "Tarot Death Card" clue found (or announced) today? Why two days after the fact? Don't the local police know how to search a crime scene? Or the State Police or the FBI? Perhaps they did find it Monday... and are just now telling us. Regardless, this Tarot card thing with "I am god" scrawled on it, seems just a bit too trite, just too "profiled", like the "Zodiac Killer" or some quasi fictional cliché.

Pardon me for smelling a rat, but I think there might have been one recently released. Andrew Sullivan wrote a great column right after the LA Airport incident, exposing the governments penchant for hiding any indication of terrorism, as outlined in the article above. It seems that the establishment liberal unelected professional bureaucracy considers the American populace just a bunch of gun mongering yayhoos on hair-trigger. They think we will start lynching arabs from light poles if the facts about these "non terrorist" incidents get out to the general public. In the meantime, fewer verifiable racial incidents against arabs and muslims have occurred in the US in the time since 9/11 than the viscous anti-Semitic attacks that have been perpetrated by arabs and muslims in France alone, not to mention the rest of the world. Pardon my skepticism, but I think it may be catching, and I think you know why.

[spetznaz]

Actually, this is right up their alley. They've done similar things in Israel, not as Al-Quada but other militant Islamic groups (they share resources so they really are the same enemy). They also have a need to shed America's blood on American soil, as they've promised for over a year now. The duration, planning, and sterility of the crime does not fit a home grown nut-job.

Well, i do see your point. However i do still believe that this is the work of some local whack-job and the tarot card they found just further implies it is some weirdo trying to spread some carnage around for any number of psycho reasons.

And as i posted in my previous correspondence if it were Al Queda they would use a stratagem that would produce bigger reverberations (eg instead of having some sniper stay within a certain area they could use fragmentation grenades on a subway system during rush hour or takeout a kindergarten with an AR-15. It would use the same resources and have a bigger impact. Moreover it would send a bigger message whihc is what Al Queda is after).

As for the sniper attacks in Israel (usually the work of Islamic Jihad and lately Hamas) there are several differences from what this perp is doing in Washington. First of all the Sniper attacks in Israel are totally random. The key issue there is to hit at different Jewish settlements at varying times, and then switching to a totally different area. The goal is to disorient the settlers and make then not know where the next shot in the dark will come from. Hence every now and then some Jewish settler will get a bullet through his kitchen window in the dead of night or maybe some innocent lady will get shot in her car in the wee hours of the morning. In essence totally random attacks that occur everywhere but nowhere! The geographical target for the sniper attacks could be anywhere in Israel since by doing so the terror of the unexpected is spread.

However if you look at what is happening here the perp is focussing on a very limited geographical area. He selects targets at random but he seldom moves (although i fear with allthose TV psychologists saying that is his 'comfort zone' he might decide to move). However this is a person who is trying to send a personal message.

I would say he is in the league of Son of Sam. Not the same but basically cut from the same thread. A psycho who satiates his need for greatness or vengeance or lust or reprisal or whatever by becoming terror personified. His message is death and it is personal.

An Al Queda cell on the other hand would try to maximize its meagre resources to the maximum. While picking off some innocent folks would spread terror Al Queda would try to do better. Why spend money on .223 ammo when you could buy simple pens and attack a pre-school using the pens as stabbing implements! In essence if your point is Al Queda is out of cash and thus has to resort to .223 ammo pot shots i would say if that were the case there are still cheaper ways in which they can accomplish their nefarious goals. I can think of literally dozens of ways in which a terrorist group (by terrorist i mean mid-eastern jehadis with a yearning to meet Allah) could wreak much more damage than what this perp is doing, and still do it more expediently and for less cost. And remember what terrorists are after is to spread their message to both their supporters back in their nests of vipers, and also to Americans and other similar minded people. These jehadis are like animals (and i think that insults animals) but an al Queda cell would not waste even one member on a random sniper attack in a limited geographical area when it would be so simple to up the ante and give a bigger message.

Hence my assertion this is a homegrown chap with some chip on his shoulder. He is indeed a terrorist since he is using terror tactics, but just like the Son of Sam he is a lone-wolf and not affiliated with any mid-eastern groups. I just pray they get this fella and punish him for attacking people for no good reason at all (just imagine what those fmailies went through! They woke up on Thursday and by the end of that day their world had changed. If it were up to me i would ensure this killer was thouroughly punished ...and although i am against torture i think i would lift my concerns over it so it could be applied to this fella). It is one thing for a Yemeni terrorist to travel to the uS and blow up Americans .....however when an American does that to his fellow citizens i have to say that is even worse because not only is the guy a killer but he is also a traitor of the worst kind.

However DeadDog let me say all i have written above is speculation. It could turn out the sniper is Al Queda. However i seriously doubt that will be the case.

[PsyOp]

"No sniper with military training *chooses* .223."

One does not need to be a sniper. Standard military training using the M-16 (.223 cal.) requires Army soldiers to hit a half-Silhouette at 400m with iron sights, and Marines qualify out to 500m with iron sights. If this guy is using a scope he can easily hit at 300 to 400 meter range if he has had any practice - further even.

Unless the winds are very high, wind drift will not be a big factor since we're not talking about match shooting - just hitting the center of mass. In the case of the school kid he hit center of mass, but the kid lived, probably because of the use of the .223 round rather than something heavier. A miss of a few inches with the smaller round saved a life. With the heavier round, a few inches would not have mattered. In any case, the shooter's "miss" created just as much outrage as if he had killed his intended victim.

You are right, however, that the .223 round is not the ideal sniper round, but it is adequate at the ranges this guy is probably going to be shooting at in an urban environment.

[knighthawk]

I run a search on him, and there is plenty to be found, at interesting sites:

http://www.terrorism.com/analysis/analysis-asia-070600-2.shtml

http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_98/sponsor.htm

http://www.hvk.org/articles/1201/107.html

I think this whole thing is more like an act of terrorism. This kind of person manages to terrify an entire population.

But it's not the same thing as people like Osama has in mind, they would use bombs. If it's a terrorists, he is from a small group.

[Travis McGee]

Thanks for the info. I think our sniper is a local lunatic.

[knighthawk]

That's most likely. This is not the thing a jihadi would do, they will settle more for a lot of people at the same time.

[Travis McGee]

I think Jihadis will come in many versions, and would not rule out this tactic by an egocentric Muslim, but this time I think not.

[Mat_Helm]

I believe that the shooter(s) is an islamic, alqueda, or palestinian SOB with limited shooting experience but have done some urban shooting in Israel and learned to avoid the IDF in urban areas. The card and note are intended to distract LEO from looking at militants who are already being looked at anyway. But if the shooting was to continue there could be more strenuous house to house searches or survielance of militants. This SOB is surprised that they have not been caught and are now planning more careful targets and could even be learning from all the speculation on the internet such as this site as to how to be a better sniper. Granted there are several sites already on the web dedicated to sniping and even more on hunting, weapons, target shooting, ballistics, relodaing etc...If it is a local nut ball than they will probably lay low for a while and could show up in another location entriely. If it is part of an islamic hate America terror campaign they will probably keep shooting right away.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

If it is part of an Islamic hate America teror campaign they will probably keep shooting right away.

Unfortunately, it looks like your assessment was proven true within hours.

[fuente]

yes it was a typo (.338 mag.) Let me see, I think I paid $270 for my A-bolt -06 and $450 for my 338 mag in 88. 'twas goin' for elk that year and the wife thought I'd like something bigger than my 30-06 (since I was new to the west coast big game). I admit I haven't bought a big gun since. Don't need any, 'specially here in FL.