Menacing Note Heats Up Police Pursuit of Sniper (Sniper Letter In Broken English)

LA Times ^ | 10/22/02 | Stephen Braun and Josh Meyer

[Southack]

"If you make the wrong move, it could set him off. They don't know what makes him tick."

And yet, they had no problem releasing a "profile" that called the killer a white guy between 20 and 30 years old.

[MacDorcha]

it may not be one guy. but yeah, i dont want them on my tax aid for streets.

[philetus]

Heats Up Police Pursuit of Sniper

What exactly does this mean?

[Palladin]

You're right. I wonder what would happen if the press just ignored him for a few days? And it is so true that the public CANNOT help unless LEA shares something solid with us, like an image of the note. Someone just might recognize the handwriting and the odd syntax.

[evolved_rage]

Heats Up Police Pursuit of Sniper

We've only been getting Moose's "B" game so far.

BTW, Is it politically incorrect to profile the english-challenged???

[dalereed]

"The FBI rarely catches anyone unless an informer tips them off."

As an L.A. Sheriff friend told me, "the FBI couldn't follow a menstrating elephant in a snow bank"!

[Professional]

Islamic cop, hired under lax policies of Marion Berry, triggered by death of relative in middle east, working with sympathizing members of his church. Access to vehicle from church member that owns a rental agency. Weapons training from work and the ability to be a step ahead from equipment he has access to. He's possibly on the beat while this happens, gets in cop car once shots fired and his team get him back to car, with clothes changed.

[Professional]

Sounds like you two boys a feudin!

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

I just want this sniper dead!

Not me. Death is too easy. I want the sniper to spend the rest of his life in jail. How many consecutive life terms do you think he'll get?

[evolved_rage]

Assuming he's a Muslim, and he may not be, do we really want a wacked out, foreign, Muslim extremist mingling with our own wacked prison Muslims??? I want him dead, preferably by a gut shot, inflicted by a civilian, but dead.

[aruanan]

As an L.A. Sheriff friend told me, "the FBI couldn't follow a menstrating elephant in a snow bank"!

That's "menstruating".

[cricket]

"And it is so true that the public CANNOT help unless LEA shares something solid with us, like an image of the note. Someone just might recognize the handwriting and the odd syntax."

. . .just reading between the lines of Chief Moose's cryptic response and comments;beyond the children. . . cannot help but think this is bigger than we might want to imagine. . .

. . .but then, this might my growing paranoid response to 'non-information' passing as news conferences :^%

[Ronin]

I think Moosie has not heard of it because it is not an issue.

They are trying to do two things right now. One, get this guy before he goes public and two, get a plan in place for what to do when his letter is leaked.

How many people will want to bet it is not filled with quotations from a certain "Holy" book, praises of a certain Saudi Arabian who'se current location and vital signs are unknown, along with loud and violent denunciations of Isreal?

Not that I am pointing any fingers, mind you.

[McGavin999]

You can not tell me that there are not linguistic experts out there who can determin the country of origin for this nutcase.

[per loin]

Do I hear a shout of "Allah Akbar" coming?

[agrandis]

Federal agents said the letter was "very lengthy" and poorly worded, bordering on broken English.

Maybe it's someone who posts on FR!

[Boiler Plate]

I was telling my wife this morning that the actual note said nothing about money but instead was asking for the release of the prisoners at Gitmo. I just saw on Yahoo that the US is going to release some of the prisoners. I think someone on FR last night wrote something about some cleric's son being held at Gitmo.

[ninenot]

cannot help but think this is bigger than we might want to imagine

Had the opposite reaction.

At this point, I think we can rule out Saddam and AlQuaeda. This is a nut case, perhaps foreign, perhaps domestic--but not a 'terrorist' in the conventional sense, nor a military mission-valentine from Saddam.

All it is now is how much money he can get.

So it's smaller, in a way, not bigger--unless one lives in the DC metro area plus or minus 100 miles...

[evolved_rage]

|-(

[Terriergal]

Officials would not speculate whether the wording indicated whether the writer was a native English speaker or foreign-born.

Hmm.. but we don't have a transcript anywhere?