Corwin

Those are all valid possibilities.... along with...

- Someone (terrorist? militia?) who has a grudge against special forces and is trying to convince people that they're responsible

- Someone (terrorist? militia?) who has a grudge against special forces and is using their symbol as a slap in their collective face

- Another Timothy McVeigh... (passed himself off as special forces, and apparently had more than half convinced himself that it was true...)

- Just some random nut?

The Resistance

In all seriousness, am I the only person worried that if this guy is not caught in time for the Godless March on Washington that we will be a little too tempting a target for the nut job, if indeed he is a religious fanatic and think he is God?

One of the last sane

I'm guessing this guy has a flatmate, partner, close neighbor or suchlike who did not work today (Columbus Day). Also explains his inactivity on the weekend.

Solsticin

Well, he/she has hit a number of different locations, though gas stations seem a favorite. It's a matter of time before a church should be hit. If it's terorists, you can bet they'd love doing this. In fact, this leads me to beleive it's probably someone native to the country.

He/She hasn't targetted a federal building yet either has he/she (I mean government offices, schools don't really count)? That speaks volumes as well. That's why, regardless of motive, this is a terrorist act. He/She if after you and me, not the government. It's all about fear (though it may well be a side effect of a freak having a great time shooting real people in places where he will not likely be caught).

From my knowledge of weapons, I'd say the guy is an amazing shot. Some disagree, but do you realize how HARD it is to kill a human being? Now add in moving targets (at least some were certainly moving). He's very good. He can't seem to pull off a convincing headshot (the two failed ones) but on center-mass he's right on.

Of course a 223 round tends to get wild when it hits the human body to. The bullets like to go 'nuts' and bounce around. So that does make center-mass a very good target (even from a good range).

Anyway, I suspect there is no motivation. He/She is having fun. Mark my words. The terror he/she is creating was likely not the original intent, but the person is loving it and ceratinly paying attention to the news it seems.

ageofreason2000

Thought I'd add my tupence worth.

I actually think there is a good chance this individual IS influenced by films / PC games

Having watched "saving private Ryan" I thought "wow, arn't snipers scary"

Some time after I bought Hidden & Dangerous - thought "wow this sniper is just like saving private Ryan"
Then I got Castle Wolfenstien - same again

My money (pure speculation) is on a nutter who worships these games, and for whatever reason - feels inadequate / frustrated when dealing with the "real" world.

What irritates me is - a scrawl on a tarot card near the suspected scene saying "I am God" draws the conclusion - it was "PC games what did it cos they have a God mode" - surely the more logical conclusion is this nutter - thinks they are / wants to be God!

The killer of John Lennon obsessed about the book catcher in the Rye (a bland book if ever there was one - admittedly I read it when well past my teens) the fruitcakes will always find the logic which best fits their warped take on life (much like the Xians |))

Age

NOGO

I would expect that Al-Qaeda would not do something like this, that is one sniper at a time. It would seem rather too slow for them. If there were dozens of snipers all over the US then it would be a different matter.

David M. Payne

I was watching the news today, and the feds are starting to look at a possible al Qaida connection to the shootings. I still think this is still a strong possibility, and just because there are no groups claiming responsibility doesn’t mean it isn’t al Qaida. Lets face it, before 9/11 how many of you thought that they would use commercial airlines as missiles? This group is trying to be creative in its approach to terror, so doing things a little differently than they have in the past isn't a big stretch. Also this could be the work of a sleeper cell, which wants to get in on the action, or was directed to do this while other cells are preparing the real strike. Lets face it, this could be a diversion to keep the feds busy while the next big attack is in the works. Hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

A former Special Forces master sergeant, I believe it was, said on the news it looks like the work of a two-man team, the shooter and the lookout/driver. They have cased their target areas in advance, that’s how they are able to get away, they leave in an unhurried way after the shot, so as not to draw attention to themselves. With only one casing found, I think they are shooting from inside the van, otherwise the police would have found a casing or two, unless they are using a bolt action rifle. The shots weren’t remarkable, and the moving shots were at fairly close range, less than 100 yards, with the target moving in a straight line towards or away from the shooter. Looks like someone who has had some training with a rifle, but not a real sniper. The skill level isn't that high. I learned how to do this kind of shooting in boot camp and ITR (Infantry Training Regiment), and at much greater ranges than these punks are shooting at. Believe me, these are not remarkable shots, anyone with some time, money and a place to shoot could learn to do this with a few weeks of training. The hard part is killing the people, for that you have to have some kind of strong motivation, like say your religious leader told you to do it for God, and the cult.

I still think in the end this will turn out to be al Qaida or some other religious fanatics out to make a name and/or terrorize the population. As the news shows us they have the headlines and the nations attention, even if they aren’t bragging about it right now, so the plan is working. Also we have to look at the same kind of activity in Kuwait against the Marines there. And there are the descriptions of the shooter and driver as dark skinned people by several witnesses. Doesn’t look like this is going to turn out to be our standard white male nut, but that is still a possibility of course.

David

daemon

Actually, after reading an bit about how snipers operate and the modus operandi of this particular sniper, it seems fairly likely that this is not some lone wackjob, but rather the concerted effort of at least three people: a spotter, a driver, and a shooter. Possibly more.

The trick is that this sniper has managed to get into position, shoot, and get out without being seen in public locales. Even a trained sniper would have great difficulty in pulling this off by themselves, which is why sniper teams usually use spotters to assist the shooter--they are a second pair of eyes, and someone to watch while the shooter aims and fires.

It further makes sense for there to be a driver involved; fumbling for keys or even a door handle would be a problem. A driver could also keep the vehicle moving, so that people won't see the vehicle parked nearby, arousing suspicion. The shooter and spotter could trek into position from a couple blocks away, set up, fire, and get away with ease as the driver comes to pick them up.

I'm of the opinion that this makes a lot of sense, so trying to tie this to video games, media, or some other simplistic psychological issue seems a major waste of time. It seems more likely that the shootings are politically motivated.

(Please note that I consider religion to be a form of politics)

muon

Investigators are saying that reports that the shooter was of Middle Eastern appearance are "not credible":

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/18/sniper.shootings/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/18/sniper.shootings/index.html</a>

I will be very surprised if this is Al Qaeda-related.

David M. Payne

From <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/15/sniper.shootings/index.html" target="_blank">this account, </a> we have this; "Three witnesses in the vicinity of two of the Washington area sniper shootings saw an olive-skinned man in a white van, law enforcement sources said Tuesday."

This story says that three witnesses from TWO different shootings described the man as olive skinned. So the idea that it may be someone of middle eastern or Latino descent doesn’t rest on the one discredited witness. I am open to the idea that it could be anyone at this point, we will see if and when they catch the shooter(s) who it is and what the motivation is. Provided they are caught alive and talk about it that is.

David