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US sniper may be linked to Bin Laden (DC SNIPER ALERT)
The Evening Standard ^ | October 14, 2002 | James Langton

Posted on 10/14/2002 2:44:20 AM PDT by MadIvan

Intelligence experts in Washington are increasingly concerned that the gunman known as the "psycho-sniper" could be a terrorist with links to Islamic terror groups.

From the evidence gathered so far, which includes a handwritten note by the gunman, investigators think English may not be his first language.

The shootings, which have left eight dead in fewer than 12 days, coincided with a warning that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network is planning new attacks. The FBI warned last Wednesday that supporters of Bin Laden were "targeting key sectors of the US economy" and has long suspected that a number of "sleeper" cells are still active.

The latest victim, on Friday morning, was father-of-six Kenneth Bridges, gunned down at a petrol station in Fredericksburg.

Investigators are troubled by the gunman's behaviour, in particular his habit of selecting targets at random. Recent reports suggest he may have a female accomplice and drives a large white van.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: Maryland; US: Virginia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: allies; alqaedq; blair; bush; dc; osama; sniper; uk; usa
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To: Demidog
We're all doing that. That was the entire purpose of this site. I'm sorry you get so upset when you can't control the debate but that's not my problem. You'll have to figure out a way to come to terms with that on your own.

I was appealing to your better angels, but apparently you have none. C'est la vie. We'll now be treated I suppose to your master theses about President Bush being a liar, and how removing Saddam is wrong, and ad nauseam, et ad nauseam.

Ivan

241 posted on 10/14/2002 7:49:33 AM PDT by MadIvan
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To: Demidog
This IS a terrorist act. It has sown terror in the hearts of thousands of Citizens, if we believe what those in that area are saying. ALL evidence says it's an act of terror. What flavor terrorist, I'm sure I don't know.
242 posted on 10/14/2002 7:50:18 AM PDT by Letitring
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To: nicmarlo
That's fair enough.
243 posted on 10/14/2002 7:50:36 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: anniegetyourgun
Yes, but a devout Muslim would have nothing to do with Tarot.

A devout Muslim who's read the Hadith's and Sura knows that it is acceptable under the Islamic "faith" to deceive ones enemies.

Using a tarot card fits perfectly into the scenario, assuming deception is in fact, being used.

244 posted on 10/14/2002 7:51:17 AM PDT by usconservative
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To: anniegetyourgun
I thought Tarot came from the middle east?
245 posted on 10/14/2002 7:51:39 AM PDT by dalebert
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To: poppyseed
One shooting in DC, the rest in Maryland or Virginia.

The one shooting in D.C. was just barely inside D.C., just south of the boundary with Montgomery County, MD. In fact, as I determined from personal observation on Saturday, the sniper may have shot from inside MD: from the roof and upper stories of the Ramada Inn three or four blocks of the place where the victim was hit, you would have had a clear line of sight to the victim -- and the Ramada Inn is in Montgomery County, MD.

246 posted on 10/14/2002 7:52:06 AM PDT by aristeides
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To: Letitring
Yup. That I can definitely agree with..
247 posted on 10/14/2002 7:52:13 AM PDT by AntiGuv
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To: KsSunflower
I'm not referring to the vehicle as a major clue. I just think that it is slightly incredible that with the number of attacks in such a short time, coupled with the obvious clues..shooting skills, unaccounted for time, nothing on the weekends, possible vehicle identification, personality and demeanor clues, it would seem that someone would be able to put these together.

But I still don't see how that points to AQ any more than it points to either an incredibly clever or incredibly lucky domestic killer, or an unaware public, or incompetent police. I mean to say that I just don't see this as an indication that this is a middle eastern terrorist - it could be indicative of any killer, regardless of race/religion/agenda.

248 posted on 10/14/2002 7:52:34 AM PDT by poppyseed
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To: dagtaggart
It is a playbook, no matter who is doing it now. A dozen terrorists in 6 major cities doing this exact same thing. Multiply the current situation by even just this much, and increase the terror to all of us by 100 fold. Will not be surprised to see it happen.

I also pondered this possibility over the weekend. I agree that this could be a playbook. However, if the terrorists (if that is who they are) in the DC area are some of their better-trained ones, they could do a lot of damage in the DC area, creating a high note of terror, and then simply carry out successful (single) incidences in several other cities (with lesser-trained terrorists) at the same time to create sufficient terror effect without multiple killings in those cities.

249 posted on 10/14/2002 7:53:39 AM PDT by Heartlander2
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To: Demidog
Religion and economics are seperate issues. There are poor Christian's as well.

They are not separate issues when the religion, as practiced, forbids individual initiative. Those countries that enforce religious conformity as government policy are likely to be poor, Muslim or otherwise. Most Christian countries have official religious freedom. Only a few Muslim countries do. and these are under constant attack.

250 posted on 10/14/2002 7:56:41 AM PDT by js1138
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To: Prodigal Son; KsSunflower
So, if a child was selected, as a specific target by this sniper, I must also consider was KsSunflower said, which sounds credible: Americans don't "single" out children for murder in random serial killings. Yes, they do murder children in serial killings, but that's their M.O., i.e., child molesters seek a target group of children. But as I have heard from psych experts, serial killer experts, this sniper is not selecting a "target group" and in that way differs from all previous serial killers....there's a randomness to the killings: women, men, and a child, of different ethnicities. Does not fit the "normal" serial killer profile. Leads me to believe the sniper is not a "serial killer" or American......(unless it's an american Johnny Jihad).
251 posted on 10/14/2002 7:57:04 AM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: SwinneySwitch
Devout Muslims would have nothing to do with strip clubs and alcohol like the 9/11 hijackers did!

I recently heard a speaker who shed a lot of light on the Islamic faith. He said that they believe that no matter how wonderful a life you live, you never have assurance of "heaven". It is up to the sole discretion of Allah as to who gets in and who doesn't. While leading a good life is certainly encouraged, it doesn't assure you of paradise.

One of the few ways an extremist believes he can have certainty of paradise is to have killed an infidel, one who is against Allah.

Possibly those men knew, because their planned deed, that they were going to be good to go, no matter their pre 9/11 activities??

252 posted on 10/14/2002 7:57:11 AM PDT by KsSunflower
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To: Samwise
I agree. We've never encountered any devout Muslims in the war on terror, only fanatical Islamists.
253 posted on 10/14/2002 7:57:27 AM PDT by Gang of Five
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To: KsSunflower
Well, let's not get off on a tangent. You can make excuses for a mad bomber if you want- but a bomber knows his weapon will kill indiscriminately and if he knows there are children in his target zone, he is, in fact targeting them.

Let's choose another example, since the Mass Murderer of Men, Women and Children named Tim McVeigh seems to be too charged a subject.

I remember what it was like during the Atlanta Child Killings. Young people were specifically targeted. Children. The killer was an American. Some of his victims were adults as well. Jeffrey Dahmer, I believe killed minor boys among his victims. John Wayne Gacy? Can't remember for sure. Look at this young child from Utah and the one from California. People do in fact target children and they are in fact Americans.

To say that no American sniper (whatever that means) would target children because American killers have social taboos against killing children is clearly preposterous. It doesn't add up. A cold blooded killer like this sniper(s) has zero respect for human life. I don't think it makes one whit of difference to him whether his victims are black, white or orange, male or female, grownup or child.

254 posted on 10/14/2002 7:58:23 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: aristeides
I think most of us agree that other posters are making that attempt. I suspect they are inspired by the government.

NOT EXACTLY - I am inspired by other serial sniper killers and our own violent past with these people. I don't side with the government but I am thinking in terms of our past experiences with serial killers and serial snipers. Nothing they are doing is different from those in the past except maybe the victims and the year it is happening. The serial/sniper killers have alot more to go on nowadays then they did a long time ago. They have access to better weapons on line and in the stores than they did in the past and they also have the internet which gives them plenty of ideas on how to map out scenarios and also how to get from one place to another. And that means it will take THAT MUCH LONGER for the cops to catch up with them. This has nothing to do with the government's way of thinking - it has to do with past experiences. I am a female and have lived thru the terror of Son of Sam when I was young (I also had long brown hair which was apparently his MO until he shot a blond girl which totally confused us. The fear everyone is experienceing is just returning again and we can't confuse that with our fear of terrorism.

255 posted on 10/14/2002 7:58:55 AM PDT by areafiftyone
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To: aristeides
But I think most of us agree that other posters are making that attempt. I suspect they are inspired by the government.

I'm just a little confused as to why though. I do believe it was a serious possibility at the time of the anthrax mailings because we weren't ready to go to war. But we're in a very different situation now. GWB WANTS to go to war and we're READY to go to war. This would be the perfect opportunity to get everybody behind him and get Saddam right away. Plus with the upcoming elections, a very uncomfortable position for all the gun grabbers. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I don't understand the reasoning on this one.

256 posted on 10/14/2002 7:59:13 AM PDT by Elenya
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To: nicmarlo
See my number 254. Wayne Williams targeted adults and children and I believe Jeffrey Dahmer did as well. In fact, I think the police returned a minor aged boy victim to Dahmer when they thought it was a "lover's quarrel". There is precedent for a killer mixing children/adults for victims.
257 posted on 10/14/2002 8:01:31 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: anniegetyourgun; MadIvan; TrueBeliever9; Corin Stormhands; aristeides; a_Turk
Look again at the tarot.

It could be the "pale horse with rider" the symbol of death in the book of revelation.

Also, I received the following email recently from a friend:

Excerpt from: http://skepdic.com/tarot.html

Gypsies didn't begin using tarot cards until the twentieth century. Today, there are many different tarot decks used in cartomancy. The meanings of the figures and numbers on tarot cards vary greatly among tarot readers and advocates, many of whom find connections between tarot and the cabala, astrology, the I Ching, ancient Egypt, and various other occult and mystical notions.

The oldest playing cards date back to tenth century China, but the four suits of tarot and modern playing cards probably originated with a fourteenth century Muslim deck .[Decker]

According to de Givry, in the modern 52-card deck of ordinary playing cards, sticks or wands = clubs (and announce news); swords = spades (and presage unhappiness and death); cups = hearts (and presage happiness); coins = diamonds (and presage money). According to Decker, the Muslim sticks represented polo sticks. As Europeans were not yet familiar with polo, they changed the suit of sticks to that of wands, cudgels or batons.

258 posted on 10/14/2002 8:03:04 AM PDT by xzins
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To: aristeides
Don't you get the idea from certain posters on this site that the government is very anxious to discount any theory that the sniper shootings, the anthrax, and various other incidents of late were perpetrated by Moslems?

Are you suggesting that those of us who don't believe this spate of killings is the work of a Muslim terrorist are part of some vast government conspiracy? If so, that's verging on ludicrous.

Our theories just differ from yours. You say Muslim, I say domestic. Let's call the whole thing off.

All angles should be considered because nothing has been conclusively proven - but to be utterly closed to any possibility BUT Muslim terrorists based on scant evidence is as stupid as dismissing ANY possibility for which there is sufficient evidence. To suggest that the government is insidiously trying to hide the facts of this case and turns to using regular josephines like me to hornswoggle the rest of the population is paranoid and ridiculous. The government is not all-seeing, all-knowing and benevolent, but to suggest that those of us who believe something different from what you believe are swept up in some scary government brainwashing scheme is just... beyond the beyonds.

259 posted on 10/14/2002 8:03:07 AM PDT by poppyseed
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To: GeorgeandtheDralgore
If I had to guess a reason, I would guess they are anxious about the possibility of mob violence against Moslems in this country.
260 posted on 10/14/2002 8:04:06 AM PDT by aristeides
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