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| Al-Qaida 'Trained Snipers For US Attacks' |
| 2002-10-19 |
| Source: The Times (UK) An Al-Qaida suspect awaiting trial in Belgium has told US investigators that he saw members of Osama bin Laden's network training snipers for attacks on American soil. Nizar Trabelsi, who is accused of plotting to blow up the American Embassy in Paris, told US agents that a three-man sniper team was trained to shoot at targets from between 50 metres and 250 metres. It was planned, he said, to use snipers to kill US senators on a golf course. That's interesting. Amost appropriate, in a bloodthirsty kind of way... Trabelsi was questioned by agents in Belgium in the past few days, ABC News reported, as the search for the Washington sniper enters its third week. Investigators hunting the man, who has killed nine people and critically wounded two in the Washington area since October 2, believe that he is likely to be a local resident. That's probably the top likelihood... There is, however, increasing speculation that the killings may be the work of terrorists. Tom Ridge, the Director of Homeland Security, said on Tuesday that the possibility that part of al-Qaeda, or someone sympathetic to the group, was behind the killings could not be discounted. FBI agents have travelled to the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to talk to alleged al-Qaeda and Taleban prisoners there about planned sniper attacks against Americans. I'd expect to get precisely zippo out of that trip, but I guess they have to try, just in case... Before the attacks began suspects at Guantanamo Bay had told investigators that they received sniper training. US Marine sniper manuals were found at al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. The theory has gained plausibility because of the lack of progress in the investigation and the failure of any member of the public to produce information. After 11 attacks, police had believed that a behavioural pattern would have alerted a family member, friend or neighbour to the gunman's identity. The lack of any reports has increased speculation that the culprit has few personal relationships. Probably the jihadis are hoping it's one of their teams, regardless of the Tarot card — a red herring? Somebody else's tarot card? The timing, coinciding with the rest of the Bad Guy counteroffensive, raises the likelihood of a turban being involved. Someone pointed out on one of the news channels this morning that there hasn't been an attack since Monday night, after which the toll stood at 9 dead out of 11 attacks — and that there wouldn't be any more, since the Magick Numbers had been reached. My personal opinion is that the shooter had the spit scared out of him when he was in the traffic that the coppers had stopped in the wake of the Home Depot attack, and that he only got away because Citizen Dowdy had the heat looking for a cream-colored Astro van and the shooter was driving a bright red Chevelle. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #5 I just write "turban" because I've written "crazed Islamist killers, rolling their eyes and screaming 'death to infidels'" too daggone many times in the past year. The Pak fundos always wear their turbans, the ayatollahs wear a different model turban, the Indonesian fundos wear yet another model. So, my apologies to the Sikhs and to other real people who prefer to wrap their heads - consider it shorthand. |
| Posted by: Fred 2002-10-19 12:55:28 |
| #4 Sorry to go a little off-topic, but I want to point out that "turban" doesn NOT equal Muslim. True, some Muslims wear turbans, but the most habitual turban-wearers are Sikhs. And Sikhs are bitter enemies of Muslims. (I think. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!) |
| Posted by: Aracona 2002-10-19 12:33:51 |
| #3 No, no one wants the Sikhs as an enemy; Indira Gandhi learned that to her horror one afternoon in her backyard after she ordered the storming of the Sikh Grand Temple... |
| Posted by: Brian 2002-10-20 00:56:55 |
| #2 The Sihks sort of sit in the middle, They are hated by both the Hindus and the Muslims, which is kind of a drag if you hail from the subcontinent. Here in Northern California, many of the farms and orchards up here are owned an operated by Sihks. They are some of the finest people I've ever met, and extremely proud to be American citizens. They are fiercely loyal. Im happy as hell to have them as our allies, and I would not want to have them as an enemy. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2002-10-19 20:27:45 |
| #1 Re Turbans: Eastern Orthodox clerics also wore turbans, in the early Eastern Empire period. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-10-19 17:07:10 |