-Caveat Lector- This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FBI Was Warned of Sniper Suspect October 26, 2002 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 9:08 a.m. ET The FBI was told by a witness last summer in Washington state that sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad was trying to obtain a silencer for his gun and wanted to kill police officers, and authorities decided to treat it as a local police safety matter, law enforcement officials say. FBI agents had concerns about some aspects of the witness' account and did not interview Muhammad at the time, the officials told The Associated Press. Authorities said emphatically Friday that nothing they received in June or July from the witness, Harjee Singh, suggested Muhammad and a 17-year-old companion, John Lee Malvo, would later cross the country and go on a random killing spree in the suburbs of the nation's capital, as they are now suspected of doing. FBI agents, however, reinterviewed the witness again this week and received new details from him, but still have reservations about certain aspects of his accounts, officials said. Singh, of Bellingham, Wash., said he met with authorities last summer and told them Muhammad and Malvo -- whom he had met at the local YMCA -- had talked to him about a possible plan to shoot police officers. ``I raised the red flag three months ago,'' Singh said. ``I told them what their intention was.'' Asked to elaborate, Singh said, ``They told me they were likely to do a sniper attack. They told me they were going to shoot to kill.'' Asked by AP if the two men named targets, Singh responded: ``Yeah, cops.'' He said the pair also mentioned possibly firing at a tanker truck. One law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Singh told the FBI that Muhammad was trying to equip a gun with a silencer and was threatening to kill police officers but had few details. ``We looked at this as an officer safety issue,'' the official said. ``This came to us in July. He (Singh) complained about Muhammad and his desire to obtain a silencer and to kill police officers.'' The official said the FBI did not try to interview Muhammad at the time, concluding the silencer issue was a matter for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and that the threats against police were a matter for local law enforcement. ATF Special Agent Patrick Berarducci said Friday night that his agency heard about Muhammad and the silencer issue only in a casual conversation at the Bellingham Police Department. ``In a conversation about other law enforcement matters, mention was made of Muhammad and the fact that he was attempting to obtain a silencer, but there was really no specifics and it was just one of thousands of conversation that our agents have with law enforcement,'' Berarducci said. Singh wasn't the only witness to provide the FBI with information that Muhammad was trying to equip a gun with a silencer. A former Army buddy told the FBI earlier this week, just before Muhammad was arrested, that the Gulf War veteran talked to him about equipping his rifle with a silencer and remarked that such a weapon could do damage, according to court documents. Bellingham Police Chief Randy Carroll said his agency had met with Singh last summer. Police met again with Singh on Wednesday night, Carroll said. ``There was nothing he told us three months ago or last night that would lead us to believe Mr. Muhammad or Mr. Malvo would have the kind of future that led them to where they are today,'' he said. The chief added that Singh's story changed when he was re-interviewed this week Bellingham police spokesman Lt. Dac Jamison said there wasn't enough information in the original interview over the summer to arrest Muhammad. He said he did not know whether his department issued an alert based on Singh's information, but added ``it wouldn't surprise me if something was issued.'' ``If you hear that somebody has started thinking about the crime, but there's no plan, where do you go with that, other than to go interview the people?'' Jamison asked. ``By the time we were aware of it, Muhammad had been gone six months.'' During the reinterview this week, Singh provided additional details about what he knew about Muhammad, but law enforcement officers are concerned about some conflicting facts, officials said. Singh said he did provide ``additional information'' Wednesday night that he had not offered previously, but has not changed his story. Bellingham is proving to be an important location in the investigation of the sniper shootings, which left 10 people dead and three wounded. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Sniper-Early-Warning.html?ex=1036844738&ei=1&en=23aae565ae1faa12 HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/ctrl@;listserv.aol.com/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/ctrl@;listserv.aol.com/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
