Image courtesy of Johnia! under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Since October 2nd, an unknown sniper or snipers, utilizing an apparent assault rifle, shot 11 victims resulting in 9 deaths, in the vicinity of Washington, DC and its Maryland/Virginia suburbs. There is no doubt that the people of the region are being systematically terrorized, with the media and government generally promulgating the notion of a “spree killer” who is ostensibly out-and-about getting his jollies. But is it really a “spree killer” causing this carnage and mayhem?
The larger question, which must be promptly addressed, is whether militant Islamists are behind these heinous activities. Right now, the investigation is being conducted as a criminal justice matter by local, state and federal law enforcement personnel. But if these deadly assaults are indeed the handiwork of Al-Qaeda or other foreign radicals, they must be identified as such and addressed within the warfare arena, which has its own “rules of engagement” that differ markedly from those of the criminal justice system. Military resources may have to be brought into play, in order to effectively deal with a citizenry under siege, a populace that is thwarted from going to work, going to school or shopping, or stymied from participating in any of the activities that daily life requires. And, according to fascinating media reports, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is now considering the use of manless “Predator” drones (aircraft already being flown in Afghanistan on surveillance and reconnaissance missions) in order to locate these “snipers” in the DC area. This alone tells you volumes, and that our government may very well be cognizant that foreign terrorists are behind the “sniper” assaults.
After reviewing what is already out in the public sphere, a cogent case can be made that the “sniper attacks” are the product of “Jihadists” or sleeper cells that were poised to perpetrate terrorism on American soil.
Let’s review some of the information at hand . Amazingly the last victim, Linda Franklin, age 47, worked as an FBI intelligence analyst, conducting some work in the field of terrorism, although she reportedly had no association with this particular “sniper” case now under intense scrutiny. What are the statistical chances that these “snipers” (and I do believe that there is more than one individual here) randomly hit an FBI employee involved in intelligence and counter-terrorism work? I would estimate it at several million to one.
Domestic intelligence falls largely under the auspices of the FBI, although clearly that function had received short-shrift until the terrorists assaults of September 11th. It’s of profound importance that victim Linda Franklin worked within the intelligence community, which is integral to national security. It could very well be that these “snipers” were brazenly sending a message, totally congruent with their other brazen activities associated with these shootings over the past few weeks. The message of the sniper/terrorists is this: We know who you are, and we are targeting those who are actively investigating us and working within the counter-terrorism sphere. Moreover, the implications are more far more disconcerting since the terrorists had to be monitoring and stalking Mrs. Franklin to some extent in order to shoot her at an opportune time, out in a public place. For all we know, and this is pure conjecture on my part, these sniper/terrorists may also be planning to assassinate high ranking government officials in Washington DC, using their long-range assault rifle. This is scary stuff, and these “snipers” must be located and caught forthwith.
And why is the timing of these “sniper attacks” so suspect? They are occurring in a backdrop of a worldwide terrorist campaign being perpetrated by Al-Qaeda and other militant Islamists. Just this past week, their have been notable terrorist strikes upon a nightclub in Bali (Australian, European and American casualties), a French oil tanker in Yemen, and three separate sniping attacks on our troops in Kuwait, killing one of our soldiers. These so-called “sniper attacks” in the Washington DC vicinity may very well be part of a larger plan of targeted assaults by radical Islamists against citizens of western democracies. According to AP correspondent Ron Fournier, “President Bush said Monday there is a pattern of attack by terrorists in Kuwait, Indonesia and Yemen, raising concerns that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network is on the move again and could strike the United States”.
Moreover, the notion that these “sniper attacks” are being committed by a “spree killer” only has partial credence, in my humble opinion. According to authorities on the subject, “spree killers” are “losers” and malcontents in society that strike out in one last blaze of glory, killing a number of people in a relatively short period of time, perhaps a week or so, before dying at the hands of police or by suicide when finally cornered. We’ve seen this before, most notably in the Andrew Cunanan case a few years back. Sure, these type of individuals are compelled to seek power and control, and enjoy the media that they generate. I see some valid elements in this characterization of the DC “snipers”. But the “spree killer” is generally very disorganized, and improvises as he moves from murder to murder. In contrast, these DC “snipers” are very methodical, very organized, which is strongly indicative of a cult-like mentality. The DC “snipers” are more likely part of the Wahhabi death cult, a mentality entrenched in the al-Qaeda organization, a radical form of Islam with its apocalyptic bent that has been funded and disseminated by the House of Saud (the Saudi royal family).
I could be wrong, but I’m inclined to believe that radical Islamists are behind the “sniper attacks” in the DC area, rather than some “lone wolf” nut-job.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”