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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Sniper Cauptured in Western Maryland; Police Link Gun to All Shootings
Aired October 24, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Under arrest. A suspect car, a motorist tip and swoop down on a highway rest area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tactical response team arrested two individuals from that vehicle who were sleeping in the vehicle.
BLITZER: Also seized a rifle. Who are they?
UNIDENTIFIED: Was quiet but a couple times I saw him get upset and I knew it was a different side to him.
BLITZER: Ominous warning signs in the arrest warrant. Did investigators know more than they let on? Today, the inside story, a cross-country scramble to crack the case that terrified the nation's capitol area, Relief for a community and for families of the victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just hope that there is -- I mean this is truly the ones responsible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, SNIPER ATTACKS. Reporting live from Montgomery County, Maryland, here's Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. Happening right now in nearby Baltimore, Maryland, the arraignment of two suspects officials believe are the snipers who killed ten people in the Washington, D.C. area. One of the nation's most extraordinary manhunts culminated this morning with the arrest of John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo at a Maryland rest stop.
It turns out that this region's nightmare was a case stretching from coast to coast. We have reporters standing by around the nation; working the investigation here in the Washington, D.C. area Kathleen Koch, Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena, and Jeanne Meserve, and in Tacoma, Washington our National Correspondent Frank Buckley.
We begin with CNN's Kathleen Koch. She's here at police headquarters in Montgomery County, Maryland, the command center for the sniper task force. Kathleen, what's the latest? KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf right now as you know we're waiting for a briefing. We hear that briefing could happen as soon as 6:00 p.m. but they do have a tendency to slip. We're expecting then to hear the latest perhaps. We don't know if we'll hear about what charges are going to be brought against the two men.
We don't know if we'll hear about evidence, but we obviously will have a lot of questions, and there was a lot of apprehension here last night when the lookout was originally released for 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad. What would be the finale of this painful drama? Would there be another shootout? Would more people die? And as it turned out, it all ended not with a bang but with a whimper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): It was around 1:00 a.m. at a rest stop outside Frederick, Maryland about 50 miles northwest of Washington, a sharp-eyed motorist who'd heard the police lookout just over an hour earlier spotted the blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with two men sleeping inside. He called 9-1-1. State troopers arrived, and after more than two hours blocking escape routes and planning their move, SWAT teams converged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shortly after 3:30 this morning, the tactical response team arrested two individuals from that vehicle who were sleeping in the vehicle. They were taken into custody without incident.
KOCH: Apprehended, 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad, a Gulf War army veteran and 17-year-old John Lee Malvo. The two were taken in for questioning and later taken to Federal Court in Baltimore. Muhammad is being held for a federal firearms violation, Malvo as a material witness.
Behind a seat in the Caprice police found a Bushmaster .223 rifle. They also removed a scope and tripod. All the items were taken for ballistics testing. Federal law enforcement sources say a sniper platform was built into the car's trunk so that the seat could be folded down, the trunk opened, and shots fired without leaving the vehicle. Meanwhile, to the south in Baton Rouge, Louisiana an attorney spoke for stunned relatives of Muhammad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone is shocked and trying to adjust to the thought that someone they know might be involved in these occurrences.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Now, Montgomery County States Attorney Doug Gansler and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Thomas DiBiagio will be meeting tomorrow in Baltimore discussing charges, discussing other jurisdictional issues, and Wolf, they plan to come out at around noon and make an announcement on that.
BLITZER: And once again, we're standing by to see if the Police Chief Charles Moose emerges here within an hour or so. KOCH: About an hour.
BLITZER: We'll of course have live coverage. Kathleen Koch thanks for that reporting.
KOCH: You got it.
BLITZER: And our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has been on top of this story all along. She's going to take us inside the sniper investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Federal agents got to this point after a long and complicated journey spanning from the East to the West Coast of the country. It starts here in Montgomery, Alabama at this liquor store. On September 21, two women were shot, one fatally. There is a sketch of a man suspected in the shootings, an eyewitness, and a fingerprint. Fast forward to this week, a tip is called in Sunday night to federal agents working the sniper investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were trying to verify things that they knew and said that you may want to check on a case that happened in Montgomery, Alabama near Ansley where a murder occurred at a liquor store. Our investigators confirmed for them that that was, in fact, the case. We did have such a case on September 21. After that was confirmed, they were even more interested. They wanted us to send them some of our evidence.
ARENA: The evidence, most importantly the fingerprint, led investigators to John Lee Malvo. His juvenile record betrayed him. Malvo was traced to Washington State and linked to John Allen Muhammad. Investigators discovered that the two lived together, although their relationship is not clear.
After the shooting in Ashland, Virginia, investigators canvassed the area with photos and they discovered that Malvo stayed in a motel near the Ponderosa Restaurant, the site of the 12th shooting. U.S. Marshals tracked down the vehicle linked to Muhammad, a Chevrolet Caprice that was spotted in Myersville, Maryland which led to their arrest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: And here is some more detail, Wolf. On December 19, there was an incident involving Muhammad, Malvo, and Malvo's mother that brought police to Malvo's mother's house in Washington State.
Now we don't know what the incident was but local police had questions about whether Malvo and his mother were in the country legally and when it was determined that they were not, and they were transferred into INS custody in Seattle. Now part of that procedure when you're transferred over is to take fingerprints, so at some point his mother was allowed to post bond. Malvo was released to his mother and a court date was set for this November. Now, fast forward to the recent sniper shootings, sources say that a print was found at one of the last shooting sites. Agencies were asked to run the print through their systems and bingo it matches the INS print. Now, records from the December incident allowed investigators to connect Malvo to Muhammad and all the pieces started fitting together -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli, amazing, amazing details, amazing information. I want to completely shift gears for just a second because I know you're following another breaking story right now, another warning from the FBI. Tell our viewers what you have.
ARENA: Well, this is not a warning for public consumption. It went out to state and local law enforcement agencies and related sectors. The FBI warns that railroads could possibly be targets of terror attacks. Now, we have seen warnings like this before, Wolf, to put this in some perspective.
This is information that is gathered from detainees that are being held in various locations around the globe, from intelligence gathering about terror organizations, and so from those interviews and from other intelligence gathering, the FBI has determined that railroads have been discussed in a very general nature as a possible target for terrorists.
Law enforcement sources assure us that there is nothing specific here, no specific target or time or date. This is very general in nature, and so that information was passed on late last night to state and local law enforcement authorities around the United States and to the sector, the transportation sector so that they could be on alert, take the precautions that they think are necessary to deal with that very general threat. Again, we've heard those terms out of an abundance of caution. It applies here.
BLITZER: All right. Kelli Arena giving us some perspective on this other story as well thanks very much.
ARENA: You're welcome, Wolf.
BLITZER: Let's get back to these sniper attacks. CNN's Jeanne Meserve has been working her sources throughout this investigation as well. She's joining us now live with new details on how the case finally came together -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a little bit more detail on the Ashland situation. Kelli touched on the fact that Mr. Malvo stayed there for several days surrounding the date of the shooting in Ashland, Virginia. We've got a little bit more detail about the note that was found there in the woods behind the Ponderosa Steakhouse.
This note, wrapped in plastic, was opened a bit late by investigators who wanted to first check it for forensic evidence and see if it was contaminated. But we have gotten some direct quotes from this letter. There was a cover sheet and on it was this message: "For you, Mr. Police, call me God. Do not release to the press." And that was followed by five stars that were written on the page. Investigators believe this could be an illusion to Five Star, a Jamaican band, also the phrase "Mr. Policeman" they felt might be Jamaican in origin.
Then later in the text of the letter we have another quote. It reads: "If we give you our word that is what takes place. Word is bond." Word is bond, we're told, part of a lyric by that band, Five Star. Also, you'll remember that last night, Chief Moose in his last attempt to communicate with the sniper or the person they believe to be the sniper, echoed that phrase, saying "our word is our bond." So, some indications there of a possible Jamaican link. We know that Mr. Malvo is indeed a Jamaican citizen -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Jeanne, tell us about the weapon that was found in that Chevy Caprice that was taken early, early this morning with those two suspects inside.
MESERVE: That was a Bushmaster .223 and we've taken a look at the warrant, on which he was arraigned this afternoon on federal weapons charges and it talks about this particular firearm or what we presume to be the same firearm. He said he possesses one Bushmaster rifle, semi-automatic, .223 caliber, Model A-35, and he's charged with transporting it across state lines in violation of the U.S. Code.
In addition, in this warrant, they detail an interview that they did with an old army buddy of Mr. Muhammad and he talks about recent visits from Mr. Muhammad in which he showed an AR-15 assault rifle and another rifle, this person testifying that at one point he also had a scope that he carried all this in a silver, aluminum briefcase. Also, that he was in possession of a book on how to make a sound suppressor, and this person says in this affidavit that Mr. Muhammad said at one point, "imagine what you could do if you had a silencer," Wolf back to you.
BLITZER: Jeanne Meserve here at Montgomery County Police Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. We'll be checking back with you as well.
The two suspects in the sniper case had been living in Washington State. It's not clear yet whether they came to Washington, D.C. to launch the attack or whether they came here for some other reason. CNN's Kevin Sites has been looking into that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN SITES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When did John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo first come here and why did they come to the capitol area at all? According to neighbors, Muhammad had been to Washington once before, working security for the 1995 Million Man March.
But Muhammad also has an ex-wife in the area. Mildred Muhammad moved into her sister's house in Clinton, Maryland shortly after divorcing John in Washington State in October, 2000. Reasons for the divorce in court documents state domestic abuse. But despite the messy divorce, one of Mildred's neighbors in Clinton says he saw Muhammad near her house earlier this year. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a brief conversation with him maybe about three months ago. He happened to be standing over here and I commented on the dogs and we just spoke about the dogs and the weather. That's about it. He was regular guy, you know. He said, Hey, how you doing? That's about it. When I saw the picture on TV, I knew I had seen him somewhere.
SITES: But was Muhammad living with his ex-wife or simply trying to be near her? According to public records, his listed address in the Washington area beginning in February, 2001 until July, 2002 is the same as hers, but could he have been there more recently? Another neighbor says he saw what he thought were unmarked police cars around the development, possibly on a stakeout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like black, unmarked police car. That's what I thought it was because I was like, he was parked on the opposite side of where everybody park at, so I was like, that was kind of strange for, you know, just a guy that's sitting there in a car.
SITES (on camera): Investigators are speaking to any and everyone connected to Muhammad and Malvo, including Mildred Muhammad, but so far there's no indication from authorities that she was aware of Muhammad's possible connection to the sniper shootings.
Kevin Sites, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: what do you think was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest, law enforcement effort, suspects' mistakes, media coverage, citizen tips? We'll have the results later in this program. You can vote at cnn.com/wolf.
This note, we're standing by for a news conference. We expect Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose and others to emerge from behind me at the top of the hour, perhaps later. We'll be having live coverage as soon as that happens. When we come back, a former Fort Lewis soldier and a 17-year-old from Jamaica, what drew these two together and allegedly drove them on a murderous rampage? We'll go live to Tacoma, Washington, and to the Pentagon for a profile.
Also the Alabama connection, how a murder in the Deep South led police out West then East again, the fingerprint that helped crack the case; and, a community set free, a huge sigh of relief from the D.C. area. We'll have a reaction from residents, all of that still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON NORMAN, MUHAMMAD'S FMR. SISTER-IN-LAW: I'm praying that John didn't do this. I'm praying that he didn't do it. John, he's done some things to my family. He's done some things to my family and I'm just hoping that this is something that he didn't do. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland.
CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley has been looking into the background of the sniper suspect, John Allen Muhammad and Frank is joining us now live from Tacoma, Washington. Frank, what have you found out?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're still trying to put it all together, but we are standing right now in front of one of the homes that John Allen Muhammad reportedly lived in as late as sometime earlier this year. Yesterday, federal agents were here to remove potential evidence, including a tree stump that many people have seen, agents believing that some of the gunshots that were heard here may have left some slugs in that tree stump. They wanted to remove it for potential evidence.
Now, there was at least one other home that John Allen Muhammad lived in here in the Tacoma area. We visited that home earlier today. While at that home, Muhammad lived with a wife there, Mildred Green, and their children. While there, she filed for and received a protection order against Muhammad. She claimed she was the victim of domestic abuse. According to court records, she said that Muhammad claimed to have "tapped the phones. He said the information he had would destroy me."
They were divorced in October of 2000 and we talked to a former family friend of the Muhammads who knew them at that period and she said that considering the John Allen Muhammad she knew, she was shocked to hear the allegations against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAY WHITLOCK, FORMER FAMILY FRIEND: To see him out there watching the kids play football and cheering them on and telling them to go get them and you know, and when his son would go in the hospital because of his asthma, he was right there.
BUCKLEY: Then he was likable?
WHITLOCK: Yes, John was likable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: But Ms. Whitlock also says that there was a darker side. She says during the custody battle that at one point John Allen Muhammad removed the children without informing his wife and that created problems for her while she searched for those children.
Also, some people here in the Tacoma area are reporting that both John Allen Muhammad and John Malvo have made anti-American statements. A local CNN affiliate KIRO TV has interviewed one such person and here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARJEED SINGH, MUHAMMAD'S FRIEND: Anti-American clearly because they, from their language that they were using, it was clear that they were anti-American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Now we've also learned that at one point this year, it's believed that both Muhammad and Malvo moved a couple of hours north of our location here in Tacoma to Bellingham where it's believed that the young Malvo was enrolled in the high school there for a while.
Officials there say that they attempted to retrieve transcripts of previous school work and they were unsuccessful in that. It's believed that at one point, both men were living in a shelter of some kind in the Bellingham area. We've also learned that John Allen Muhammad here in Tacoma ran a roadside repair service. He also ran a karate school at one point and during his military service he received an expert marksman badge with the M-16 -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank Buckley on the scene for us in Tacoma, Washington with all of that information thank you very much.
And the truck driver who helped lead authorities to the two suspects is going public with his story. He spoke earlier with reporters. Here's Ron Lancz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON LANCZ, TIPSTER: Well, I left Wilmington, Delaware at 11:00. Ten minutes to one, I pulled in the rest area at Myersville. It's a little town called Myersville. That's between Baltimore and Hagerstown, the rest area. I pulled in. I heard a they was talking about the description of the car, the make of the car, the model of the car, the license plate number.
I pulled in with another driver behind me and I told the other that car don't look, looks kind of obvious and I stood there a little bit. I was talking to him on the radio but he said well, what are we going to do? I said, I'm going to call 911. So I called 911. They told me we'll be there as soon as possible, we'll be there right away. He didn't say how long. He said you stay right where you're at. I said OK.
In the meantime, somebody else came on up there. I'm not going to tell you who. I don't know who it was and they told me to go up and block the entrance where they come out so they couldn't get out, so me and this other driver blocked the entrance so they couldn't get out. About 15, 20 minutes later at the latest, that place was full of FBI and all that stuff and they found the people. The found the gun. They found the tripod. They found the scope and they found the little hole in the back of the car that had been shot.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But, Ron, that must have been the longest 15 minutes of your life waiting for the police to arrive. LANCZ: That was a long 15 minutes. It was a long 15 minutes. I felt like I could sleep all night and I didn't have sleep yet.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: You know a lot of people in the neighborhood are already calling you a hero for having made that call. How do you feel about that?
LANCZ: I'm no hero. I just want people to think what I did was what I should have done. I'm no hero at this, no hero whatsoever. I don't even want to be thought of as a hero. I just want everybody to tell me thanks and walk away and forget about it is what I want.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And you had had a prayer meeting with other drivers about this?
LANCZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: How long ago?
LANCZ: Last Thursday. We had 50 drivers and one bunch had a prayer meeting up there 20 miles from where this happened and we thought - we knew our prayer was going to be answered. We knew that sometime or the other. That's the way we believe. I go to the Nazarene Church out here in Fort Wright and I'll tell you what, I know they'll be calling me. It's been a wonderful experience, but it's a sad experience to see what has been done in the last 21 days, 21 days today that it happened. So that's about the end of it as far as I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And Ron Lancz, he is a genuine hero. He says he's not really interested in that half million dollar reward. He says if he had his way, he might just distribute to some of the victims' relatives and family members. Ron Lancz speaking to reporters in Ludlow, Kentucky, just a truck driver a few months away from his scheduled retirement. Thanks to him. Thank you very much, Mr. Lancz.
And no more fear here in the Washington area, a community held hostage set free by today's developments and hope that life will finally get back to normal. Plus, a killing in Alabama, a fingerprint left behind and a phone call that led police down South. More on the clue that helped crack the case, also a Gulf War veteran, a closer look at the training John Muhammad received by the U.S. military, all that still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland where we're standing by for a news conference from the Police Chief Charles Moose and his associates. We expect them to emerge at the top of the hour. We, of course, will have live coverage. It will be their first public comments since the arrest early this morning of two suspects in connection with these sniper killings.
There's a palpable sense of relief among the millions of people who live here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area following today's arrest of those two suspects in the sniper case. CNN's Bill Delaney has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All over Montgomery County, Maryland and for hundreds of miles around it, breathing easy again, even after a two-mile run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's freedom. I was afraid to jog for the last three weeks anywhere.
DELANEY: Everywhere having become a front line. How have you been feeling going out there and filling people's tanks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rough, all day long, you know.
DELANEY: Big relief?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes, big release, no Alka Seltzer didn't do that, a big relief.
DELANEY: If you worked outside or just did anything outside.
DELANEY (on camera): Soon, traces you can see of what happened here will be gone, like this makeshift memorial for Pascal Charlot, the victim of the seventh shooting, shot dead exactly two weeks ago while crossing the street. What will linger here, many say, a sense of how suddenly, terribly vulnerable we all can become.
DELANEY (voice over): Linda Quinn heard the shot that killed Charlot.
LINDA QUINN: I can take my daughter to school without looking around me, wondering where is it coming from, was I going to be the one next. Yes, I'm just happy. I don't know, I've just been praying. Eventually, I hope it will just ease out of my mind, but as long as I keep walking past this spot, I will remember it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden it doesn't make any difference where you live because someone can be sitting in the trees directly across from this parking lot and you would have absolutely no idea and you should really be on the lookout all the time which is kind of a sad comment on our times.
DELANEY: A time no one who lived through it is likely to put behind them anytime soon. Bill Delaney CNN, Montgomery County, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I can personally testify to all of that, thank you very much Bill. And one of the sniper suspects is no novice when it comes to guns, a look at his military training from Montgomery, Alabama to Montgomery County, Maryland, the piece of the puzzle that led authorities to an arrest. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer with a special report live from Montgomery County, Maryland. Remember, we're expecting shortly the police chief of Montgomery County, Charles Moose, and his associates to emerge from behind me, make a statement, answer reporters' questions. We'll, of course, have live coverage here on CNN.
Meanwhile, let's take a look at some of the latest breaking headlines this hour. The two suspects captured this morning in the D.C. area sniper attacks are in federal court this afternoon. Seventeen-year-old John Lee Malvo has been arraigned as a material witness in the sniper case. Forty-one-year-old John Allen Muhammad is being arraigned on weapons charges.
The FBI is warning that state and local law enforcement nationwide about a possible terror attack against transportation systems in the United States, especially railroads. Officials say the warning is based on information from al Qaeda prisoners.
And the hostage standoff inside a Moscow theater is now in its second day. About 40 Chechen separatists are holding up to 700 people demanding an end to the war in Chechnya.
Back now to the sniper attacks. Federal officials tell CNN a deadly shooting in Montgomery, Alabama last month led them to Tacoma, Washington. For more on this key piece in the sniper case we go to CNN's Brian Cabell in Montgomery -- Brian.
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're expecting a press conference here as well in the last 25 minutes. We haven't talked to the police chief for about six hours, so we may get additional information, confirmation.
By far, the biggest news of the day was confirmation that we got out of Washington D.C. that the fingerprints of John Malvo match those found in a crime scene here in Montgomery, from a crime September 21 at a liquor store. Two women employees shutting down the store and being attacked at closing time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR BOBBY BRIGHT, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: Two ladies were coming out of the store. They had locked the door and the man approached them from behind.
CABELL (on camera): Did he say anything to them?
BRIGHT: To our knowledge, nothing. And if he did, it's in the statements of the ladies and I really can't reveal that or the lady that was the survivor.
CABELL: And the survivor, she's doing well?
BRIGHT: She's doing much better than we expected this quickly. She is -- she's doing very well. It's a miracle that she's with us today, quite frankly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: A police officer who heard the shots was actually only a couple hundred yards away and managed to pursue the gunmen, got a pretty good look at him, almost apprehended him, but didn't, but came up with a composite stretch and you can compare it to the shot. The picture of John Malvo, some people say it looks similar, some say it does it. In any case, that was the composite sketch. That was the man they were looking for. But now, of course, they have the fingerprints.
The question that has arisen of course here is was John Malvo living here? Was Mr. Muhammad living here? Right now police are looking into that. As I say, we have a press conference coming up in the next half hour or so. We may get some answers to those questions -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We'll be looking at that news conference as well. Thanks very much, Brian Cabell in Montgomery, Alabama.
We have dramatic information also on John Muhammad's rifle training during his service in the U.S. Army. For that we turn to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we have learned today after getting details on John Allen Muhammad's Army service record that as a U.S. Army sergeant, he earned the M-16 Expert Marksmanship Badge. That is the highest, the Army's highest level of achievement in M-16 handling. And what this means is that during his annual qualifications trials, Muhammad was able to hit at least 36 of 40 targets, which were placed at a range of 50 to 300 meters.
Now, what we should tell you is this is a daylight qualification trial and no scope is used during this annual trial. So Army officials point out to us that while he did achieve this very high- level of qualification in M-16 handling, this was far short of anything comparable with Army sniper training or Army Special Forces training. That is a whole different level of marksmanship and expertise. And they emphasize that Muhammad had no connection to Army Special Forces or Army sniper teams.
Muhammad did have in the Army, basic and advanced engineering training and some training in basic winter operations. According to his record, he earned no particular medals or ribbons of great distinction, just some very basic certificate awards of service. He did serve in the Army for nine years. He was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and we have also learned that the jobs he had in the Army were as a metal worker, a combat engineer and a water transport specialist. He apparently drove a water truck -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara, I know you've been working on this all day, did he get an honorable or dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army?
STARR: Very interesting question. Due to privacy concerns, the Pentagon has told us all day that they will not be able to tell us. But there's something very interesting in his record that gives us a big hint. After he left active duty service in 1994, this man joined the Oregon National Guard and we are told that there's really no way the National Guard would have accepted him into service unless he had received an honorable discharge from his active duty service with the U.S. Army. So we are led to believe he did receive an honorable discharge.
BLITZER: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon thanks for that good reporting.
And we're getting more information now from CNN's Jeanne Meserve. She's with me here in Montgomery County.
What's going on?
MESERVE: Wolf, one law enforcement official is describing the 1990 Chevy Caprice, which was seized last night, as a killing machine. This law enforcement official described two holes that had been drilled into the back of the car, one on top of the other about three inches in diameter, one apparently for the rifle, the other apparently for the scope. The backseat of the car moved in such a way that someone could gain access to the trunk from the central cab of the car and could get back there. And to this law enforcement official, it was apparent that it was the perfect place from which to fire a gun.
Now, this would have a couple of serious advantages for someone who wanted to do their sniping inconspicuously. You could park this car and no one would ever be aware of what was in there. We're told that they disguised the holes in the back with socks, also the cartridge, after one fired, would fall right into the trunk of the car. The trunk of the car would likely muscle the sound of the shot. And also, one could theorize that if there were two people involved in these attacks, one person could be firing, the other in the driver's seat and so that would allow for a quick getaway from the scene.
BLITZER: That's a chilling, chilling report. A killing machine, that Chevy Caprice. Why wasn't more attention paid to that Caprice after Chief Ramsey, Charles Ramsey, the D.C. police chief said, "Look for a Chevy Caprice?" He thought it was burgundy, but still, we were all looking for a white van?
MESERVE: I think in part because there had been a Chevy Caprice found in D.C. a couple of days later that were burned out -- that was burned out. And I think some people felt perhaps that was the vehicle that had been sighted. Also, they did have credible witness reports from other shooting locations of these other vehicles. That's what they gleaned those composite drawings from.
BLITZER: OK, good work. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much.
When we come back, he lost his brother to the sniper and now he's speaking out. Bob Meyers on his brother, Dean. All of that coming up and later, looking into the suspect's past. He converted to a religion of peace, but is accused of violent acts. Now the Muslim community is talking. We'll have that. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer with a special report live from Montgomery County, Maryland. The Washington area sniper shootings not only terrorized a region, but devastated families and loved ones of the victims. Bob Meyers' brother, Dean Harold Meyers, was the seventh person killed in the sniper rampage. Bob Meyers is joining us now live from Philadelphia.
Mr. Meyers, thanks so much for join us, our deepest condolences to you. Tell us what's going through your mind as you see and hear about these dramatic developments.
BOB MEYERS, BROTHER OF SNIPER VICTIM: Well, we certainly have great level of relief, particularly for those that are still in the D.C. area because every time that we would hear of another incident, our hearts sank and we would have a lot of empathy for those that were just entering into the many emotions and difficulties that we faced before.
BLITZER: Tell us how your family, all your relatives and close friends of your brother are now dealing with this enormous, enormous tragedy.
MEYERS: Well, we've chosen to trust God rather than question him or criticize him. We recognize that if God wanted it to be different, he could have changed it and we are not really in a position to question or criticize him. So what we've done is decided to take a positive approach and recognize his sovereignty and trust him and look for good outcomes that can come out of a really challenging situation.
BLITZER: And remind our viewers how your brother, Dean -- what was he doing when he was gunned down?
MEYERS: He was at a gas station, I believe, putting a credit card in the gas pump.
BLITZER: And any -- and then, simply out of the blue, he was driving -- was he driving home? He was driving home from work, is that right?
MEYERS: Yes, he had worked late that night. It was about 8:15 or thereabouts. And he was leaving work late and needed gas apparently on his way home.
BLITZER: What do you want to see happen to those who killed your brother whoever it turns out to be, whatever turns out to be the case?
MEYERS: Well, we believe that we're not to avenge ourselves. That's pretty clear from the Bible, so we look to the authorities that God has put in place. One of the great institutions that he has set up is the institution of human government and we believe that that's the right venue to deal with here on earth. We also recognize that in the same passage that he instructs us not to avenge ourselves, that he also says that he'll avenge such losses. So whatever the Judicial Branch determines and whatever God determines we defer to. BLITZER: Bob Meyers, the brother of Dean Harold Meyers, a religious man, thanks for your thoughts. Thanks for joining us today. We appreciate it very much and once again, our deepest condolences to you and to your entire family.
MEYERS: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: When we come back, a suspect that converted to Islam, a faith that teaches peace. Why would a follower be accused of turning to violence? My next guest speaks out for the Muslim community. We'll get her reaction. That's all coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: As we reported, the sniper suspect, John Muhammad, converted to Islam in the mid 1980s. Joining us now to talk about that aspect of this case is Sarah Eltantawi. She's the communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Sarah, thanks for joining us. When you heard that this morning, John Muhammad, a Muslim, accused of this kind of crime, what went through your mind?
SARAH ELTANTAWI, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Well, I think it's horrible that anybody would commit this kind of crime, of course, and the fact that he's Muslim makes it a lot more personal and a lot worse to worry about backlashes in the community. But, you know, this -- it doesn't matter what his religion is. I think that, you know, we can -- as a Muslim and as people representing the Muslim community, you can't account for the abhorrent actions of every single Muslim.
BLITZER: I think that's fair enough to say though, of course. Do -- the Muslim -- the leadership, the faith, the whole practice of Islam preaches peace, yet we do get these kinds of activities coming on the heels. And there's no evidence this is at all connected to terrorism or al Qaeda or anything like, that but there is this image of Islam that isn't part of the reality.
ELTANTAWI: Right, well, sure, but you get that with everyone, with every faith. And we've had a -- we've had a walking killer. We've had Son of Sam. We've had the Night Stalker, all kinds of different lunatics out there who belong to different faiths and we can't indict the entire faith because of the actions of a few. Of course, Islam has gotten some bad press since September 11 and that's unfortunate. And for your viewers out there, who are making this connection, you know, he doesn't have connections to any of these terrorist groups.
I can say that my name is Joan of Arc and then, you know, commit horrible atrocities. I don't think that has anything to do with Christianity. And I think that the Muslim community, for the most part, is we're just so relieved that this man has been caught. We are so relieved that we can now live in this community safely along with the rest of Americans.
We've been helping out with local law enforcement. A lot of us live in this area and you know we're just reacting like everyone else has. And again, there's that special sadness that this person claims to be a Muslim, but you can claim to be anyone and do anything and it's just -- it has nothing whatsoever to do with the faith and I think that's pretty clear.
BLITZER: And I think one of the responsibilities you have is to try to work to make sure to clarify that so there isn't a backlash against Muslims.
ELTANTAWI: Yes, yes, absolutely. There's simply nothing whatsoever in this faith or other great faiths that would instruct somebody to go out and do this kind of wanton killing and massacring of innocent people. It's just absolutely horrendous.
BLITZER: Sarah Eltantawi, thanks for joining us.
ELTANTAWI: Thank you.
BLITZER: And I can only reiterate -- I can only underline exactly what you said that just because there's a bad apple that doesn't mean the whole case is bad. Obviously, Muslims, the overwhelming -- almost all Muslims in country are law-abiding, honorable, wonderful citizens...
ELTANTAWI: Thank you so much.
BLITZER: ... of this country. Thanks for joining us.
ELTANTAWI: Thank you.
BLITZER: Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." What do you think was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest? Was it the law enforcement effort, the suspects' mistakes, media coverage, or citizen tips? Log onto CNN.com/Wolf. That's when where you can vote. We'll have the results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Please be sure to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the sniper attacks case. At 8:00 p.m. Eastern, a Connie Chung special on the sniper suspects. Who are the men allegedly behind the D.C. area killing spree? Then hear from John Muhammad's family members on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 Eastern. And at 10:00 Eastern, how police cracked the case. See what it all took to put all the pieces together, all that coming up tonight.
Now here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Questions of The Day." Earlier we asked, who do you think was -- what was -- what, do you think, was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest? Look at this, 41 percent of you say law enforcement effort did it. Twenty- eight percent say suspects' mistakes. Six percent accredited media coverage. Twenty-six percent said citizen tips. You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote, by the way, on my Website, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, of course, this is not a scientific poll. Time to hear now from you. We have some e-mails. Roland, the question everybody seems to be asking -- "If these are the snipers, who gets the reward money? It should go to the rest area tipster. That would encourage the public to assist in future cases."
About the 17-year-old suspect, Rita writes, "Exactly where is this kid's mother? Someone must have primary custody of this juvenile. How did they let him get mixed up with John Muhammad?"
And Al wants to point out this -- "The word 'terrorist' does not apply only to people of a specific race or religion, but to anyone who tries to insight terror by mentally or physically harming others. Just because the sniper has terrorized the D.C. area does not mean he is tied to a network like al Qaeda."
The sniper attacks left 13 victims behind here in the Washington D.C. area. Two adults and a middle school student survived the rampage. Today, we remember those who did not. May they all rest in peace.
That's all the time we have today. Please join me again tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern and please join us everyday at noon Eastern as well, on weekdays, that is. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
All Shootings>
Aired October 24, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Under arrest. A suspect car, a motorist tip and swoop down on a highway rest area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tactical response team arrested two individuals from that vehicle who were sleeping in the vehicle.
BLITZER: Also seized a rifle. Who are they?
UNIDENTIFIED: Was quiet but a couple times I saw him get upset and I knew it was a different side to him.
BLITZER: Ominous warning signs in the arrest warrant. Did investigators know more than they let on? Today, the inside story, a cross-country scramble to crack the case that terrified the nation's capitol area, Relief for a community and for families of the victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just hope that there is -- I mean this is truly the ones responsible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, SNIPER ATTACKS. Reporting live from Montgomery County, Maryland, here's Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. Happening right now in nearby Baltimore, Maryland, the arraignment of two suspects officials believe are the snipers who killed ten people in the Washington, D.C. area. One of the nation's most extraordinary manhunts culminated this morning with the arrest of John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo at a Maryland rest stop.
It turns out that this region's nightmare was a case stretching from coast to coast. We have reporters standing by around the nation; working the investigation here in the Washington, D.C. area Kathleen Koch, Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena, and Jeanne Meserve, and in Tacoma, Washington our National Correspondent Frank Buckley.
We begin with CNN's Kathleen Koch. She's here at police headquarters in Montgomery County, Maryland, the command center for the sniper task force. Kathleen, what's the latest? KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf right now as you know we're waiting for a briefing. We hear that briefing could happen as soon as 6:00 p.m. but they do have a tendency to slip. We're expecting then to hear the latest perhaps. We don't know if we'll hear about what charges are going to be brought against the two men.
We don't know if we'll hear about evidence, but we obviously will have a lot of questions, and there was a lot of apprehension here last night when the lookout was originally released for 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad. What would be the finale of this painful drama? Would there be another shootout? Would more people die? And as it turned out, it all ended not with a bang but with a whimper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): It was around 1:00 a.m. at a rest stop outside Frederick, Maryland about 50 miles northwest of Washington, a sharp-eyed motorist who'd heard the police lookout just over an hour earlier spotted the blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with two men sleeping inside. He called 9-1-1. State troopers arrived, and after more than two hours blocking escape routes and planning their move, SWAT teams converged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shortly after 3:30 this morning, the tactical response team arrested two individuals from that vehicle who were sleeping in the vehicle. They were taken into custody without incident.
KOCH: Apprehended, 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad, a Gulf War army veteran and 17-year-old John Lee Malvo. The two were taken in for questioning and later taken to Federal Court in Baltimore. Muhammad is being held for a federal firearms violation, Malvo as a material witness.
Behind a seat in the Caprice police found a Bushmaster .223 rifle. They also removed a scope and tripod. All the items were taken for ballistics testing. Federal law enforcement sources say a sniper platform was built into the car's trunk so that the seat could be folded down, the trunk opened, and shots fired without leaving the vehicle. Meanwhile, to the south in Baton Rouge, Louisiana an attorney spoke for stunned relatives of Muhammad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone is shocked and trying to adjust to the thought that someone they know might be involved in these occurrences.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Now, Montgomery County States Attorney Doug Gansler and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Thomas DiBiagio will be meeting tomorrow in Baltimore discussing charges, discussing other jurisdictional issues, and Wolf, they plan to come out at around noon and make an announcement on that.
BLITZER: And once again, we're standing by to see if the Police Chief Charles Moose emerges here within an hour or so. KOCH: About an hour.
BLITZER: We'll of course have live coverage. Kathleen Koch thanks for that reporting.
KOCH: You got it.
BLITZER: And our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has been on top of this story all along. She's going to take us inside the sniper investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Federal agents got to this point after a long and complicated journey spanning from the East to the West Coast of the country. It starts here in Montgomery, Alabama at this liquor store. On September 21, two women were shot, one fatally. There is a sketch of a man suspected in the shootings, an eyewitness, and a fingerprint. Fast forward to this week, a tip is called in Sunday night to federal agents working the sniper investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were trying to verify things that they knew and said that you may want to check on a case that happened in Montgomery, Alabama near Ansley where a murder occurred at a liquor store. Our investigators confirmed for them that that was, in fact, the case. We did have such a case on September 21. After that was confirmed, they were even more interested. They wanted us to send them some of our evidence.
ARENA: The evidence, most importantly the fingerprint, led investigators to John Lee Malvo. His juvenile record betrayed him. Malvo was traced to Washington State and linked to John Allen Muhammad. Investigators discovered that the two lived together, although their relationship is not clear.
After the shooting in Ashland, Virginia, investigators canvassed the area with photos and they discovered that Malvo stayed in a motel near the Ponderosa Restaurant, the site of the 12th shooting. U.S. Marshals tracked down the vehicle linked to Muhammad, a Chevrolet Caprice that was spotted in Myersville, Maryland which led to their arrest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: And here is some more detail, Wolf. On December 19, there was an incident involving Muhammad, Malvo, and Malvo's mother that brought police to Malvo's mother's house in Washington State.
Now we don't know what the incident was but local police had questions about whether Malvo and his mother were in the country legally and when it was determined that they were not, and they were transferred into INS custody in Seattle. Now part of that procedure when you're transferred over is to take fingerprints, so at some point his mother was allowed to post bond. Malvo was released to his mother and a court date was set for this November. Now, fast forward to the recent sniper shootings, sources say that a print was found at one of the last shooting sites. Agencies were asked to run the print through their systems and bingo it matches the INS print. Now, records from the December incident allowed investigators to connect Malvo to Muhammad and all the pieces started fitting together -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli, amazing, amazing details, amazing information. I want to completely shift gears for just a second because I know you're following another breaking story right now, another warning from the FBI. Tell our viewers what you have.
ARENA: Well, this is not a warning for public consumption. It went out to state and local law enforcement agencies and related sectors. The FBI warns that railroads could possibly be targets of terror attacks. Now, we have seen warnings like this before, Wolf, to put this in some perspective.
This is information that is gathered from detainees that are being held in various locations around the globe, from intelligence gathering about terror organizations, and so from those interviews and from other intelligence gathering, the FBI has determined that railroads have been discussed in a very general nature as a possible target for terrorists.
Law enforcement sources assure us that there is nothing specific here, no specific target or time or date. This is very general in nature, and so that information was passed on late last night to state and local law enforcement authorities around the United States and to the sector, the transportation sector so that they could be on alert, take the precautions that they think are necessary to deal with that very general threat. Again, we've heard those terms out of an abundance of caution. It applies here.
BLITZER: All right. Kelli Arena giving us some perspective on this other story as well thanks very much.
ARENA: You're welcome, Wolf.
BLITZER: Let's get back to these sniper attacks. CNN's Jeanne Meserve has been working her sources throughout this investigation as well. She's joining us now live with new details on how the case finally came together -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a little bit more detail on the Ashland situation. Kelli touched on the fact that Mr. Malvo stayed there for several days surrounding the date of the shooting in Ashland, Virginia. We've got a little bit more detail about the note that was found there in the woods behind the Ponderosa Steakhouse.
This note, wrapped in plastic, was opened a bit late by investigators who wanted to first check it for forensic evidence and see if it was contaminated. But we have gotten some direct quotes from this letter. There was a cover sheet and on it was this message: "For you, Mr. Police, call me God. Do not release to the press." And that was followed by five stars that were written on the page. Investigators believe this could be an illusion to Five Star, a Jamaican band, also the phrase "Mr. Policeman" they felt might be Jamaican in origin.
Then later in the text of the letter we have another quote. It reads: "If we give you our word that is what takes place. Word is bond." Word is bond, we're told, part of a lyric by that band, Five Star. Also, you'll remember that last night, Chief Moose in his last attempt to communicate with the sniper or the person they believe to be the sniper, echoed that phrase, saying "our word is our bond." So, some indications there of a possible Jamaican link. We know that Mr. Malvo is indeed a Jamaican citizen -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Jeanne, tell us about the weapon that was found in that Chevy Caprice that was taken early, early this morning with those two suspects inside.
MESERVE: That was a Bushmaster .223 and we've taken a look at the warrant, on which he was arraigned this afternoon on federal weapons charges and it talks about this particular firearm or what we presume to be the same firearm. He said he possesses one Bushmaster rifle, semi-automatic, .223 caliber, Model A-35, and he's charged with transporting it across state lines in violation of the U.S. Code.
In addition, in this warrant, they detail an interview that they did with an old army buddy of Mr. Muhammad and he talks about recent visits from Mr. Muhammad in which he showed an AR-15 assault rifle and another rifle, this person testifying that at one point he also had a scope that he carried all this in a silver, aluminum briefcase. Also, that he was in possession of a book on how to make a sound suppressor, and this person says in this affidavit that Mr. Muhammad said at one point, "imagine what you could do if you had a silencer," Wolf back to you.
BLITZER: Jeanne Meserve here at Montgomery County Police Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. We'll be checking back with you as well.
The two suspects in the sniper case had been living in Washington State. It's not clear yet whether they came to Washington, D.C. to launch the attack or whether they came here for some other reason. CNN's Kevin Sites has been looking into that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN SITES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When did John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo first come here and why did they come to the capitol area at all? According to neighbors, Muhammad had been to Washington once before, working security for the 1995 Million Man March.
But Muhammad also has an ex-wife in the area. Mildred Muhammad moved into her sister's house in Clinton, Maryland shortly after divorcing John in Washington State in October, 2000. Reasons for the divorce in court documents state domestic abuse. But despite the messy divorce, one of Mildred's neighbors in Clinton says he saw Muhammad near her house earlier this year. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a brief conversation with him maybe about three months ago. He happened to be standing over here and I commented on the dogs and we just spoke about the dogs and the weather. That's about it. He was regular guy, you know. He said, Hey, how you doing? That's about it. When I saw the picture on TV, I knew I had seen him somewhere.
SITES: But was Muhammad living with his ex-wife or simply trying to be near her? According to public records, his listed address in the Washington area beginning in February, 2001 until July, 2002 is the same as hers, but could he have been there more recently? Another neighbor says he saw what he thought were unmarked police cars around the development, possibly on a stakeout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like black, unmarked police car. That's what I thought it was because I was like, he was parked on the opposite side of where everybody park at, so I was like, that was kind of strange for, you know, just a guy that's sitting there in a car.
SITES (on camera): Investigators are speaking to any and everyone connected to Muhammad and Malvo, including Mildred Muhammad, but so far there's no indication from authorities that she was aware of Muhammad's possible connection to the sniper shootings.
Kevin Sites, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: what do you think was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest, law enforcement effort, suspects' mistakes, media coverage, citizen tips? We'll have the results later in this program. You can vote at cnn.com/wolf.
This note, we're standing by for a news conference. We expect Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose and others to emerge from behind me at the top of the hour, perhaps later. We'll be having live coverage as soon as that happens. When we come back, a former Fort Lewis soldier and a 17-year-old from Jamaica, what drew these two together and allegedly drove them on a murderous rampage? We'll go live to Tacoma, Washington, and to the Pentagon for a profile.
Also the Alabama connection, how a murder in the Deep South led police out West then East again, the fingerprint that helped crack the case; and, a community set free, a huge sigh of relief from the D.C. area. We'll have a reaction from residents, all of that still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON NORMAN, MUHAMMAD'S FMR. SISTER-IN-LAW: I'm praying that John didn't do this. I'm praying that he didn't do it. John, he's done some things to my family. He's done some things to my family and I'm just hoping that this is something that he didn't do. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland.
CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley has been looking into the background of the sniper suspect, John Allen Muhammad and Frank is joining us now live from Tacoma, Washington. Frank, what have you found out?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're still trying to put it all together, but we are standing right now in front of one of the homes that John Allen Muhammad reportedly lived in as late as sometime earlier this year. Yesterday, federal agents were here to remove potential evidence, including a tree stump that many people have seen, agents believing that some of the gunshots that were heard here may have left some slugs in that tree stump. They wanted to remove it for potential evidence.
Now, there was at least one other home that John Allen Muhammad lived in here in the Tacoma area. We visited that home earlier today. While at that home, Muhammad lived with a wife there, Mildred Green, and their children. While there, she filed for and received a protection order against Muhammad. She claimed she was the victim of domestic abuse. According to court records, she said that Muhammad claimed to have "tapped the phones. He said the information he had would destroy me."
They were divorced in October of 2000 and we talked to a former family friend of the Muhammads who knew them at that period and she said that considering the John Allen Muhammad she knew, she was shocked to hear the allegations against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAY WHITLOCK, FORMER FAMILY FRIEND: To see him out there watching the kids play football and cheering them on and telling them to go get them and you know, and when his son would go in the hospital because of his asthma, he was right there.
BUCKLEY: Then he was likable?
WHITLOCK: Yes, John was likable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: But Ms. Whitlock also says that there was a darker side. She says during the custody battle that at one point John Allen Muhammad removed the children without informing his wife and that created problems for her while she searched for those children.
Also, some people here in the Tacoma area are reporting that both John Allen Muhammad and John Malvo have made anti-American statements. A local CNN affiliate KIRO TV has interviewed one such person and here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARJEED SINGH, MUHAMMAD'S FRIEND: Anti-American clearly because they, from their language that they were using, it was clear that they were anti-American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Now we've also learned that at one point this year, it's believed that both Muhammad and Malvo moved a couple of hours north of our location here in Tacoma to Bellingham where it's believed that the young Malvo was enrolled in the high school there for a while.
Officials there say that they attempted to retrieve transcripts of previous school work and they were unsuccessful in that. It's believed that at one point, both men were living in a shelter of some kind in the Bellingham area. We've also learned that John Allen Muhammad here in Tacoma ran a roadside repair service. He also ran a karate school at one point and during his military service he received an expert marksman badge with the M-16 -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank Buckley on the scene for us in Tacoma, Washington with all of that information thank you very much.
And the truck driver who helped lead authorities to the two suspects is going public with his story. He spoke earlier with reporters. Here's Ron Lancz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON LANCZ, TIPSTER: Well, I left Wilmington, Delaware at 11:00. Ten minutes to one, I pulled in the rest area at Myersville. It's a little town called Myersville. That's between Baltimore and Hagerstown, the rest area. I pulled in. I heard a they was talking about the description of the car, the make of the car, the model of the car, the license plate number.
I pulled in with another driver behind me and I told the other that car don't look, looks kind of obvious and I stood there a little bit. I was talking to him on the radio but he said well, what are we going to do? I said, I'm going to call 911. So I called 911. They told me we'll be there as soon as possible, we'll be there right away. He didn't say how long. He said you stay right where you're at. I said OK.
In the meantime, somebody else came on up there. I'm not going to tell you who. I don't know who it was and they told me to go up and block the entrance where they come out so they couldn't get out, so me and this other driver blocked the entrance so they couldn't get out. About 15, 20 minutes later at the latest, that place was full of FBI and all that stuff and they found the people. The found the gun. They found the tripod. They found the scope and they found the little hole in the back of the car that had been shot.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But, Ron, that must have been the longest 15 minutes of your life waiting for the police to arrive. LANCZ: That was a long 15 minutes. It was a long 15 minutes. I felt like I could sleep all night and I didn't have sleep yet.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: You know a lot of people in the neighborhood are already calling you a hero for having made that call. How do you feel about that?
LANCZ: I'm no hero. I just want people to think what I did was what I should have done. I'm no hero at this, no hero whatsoever. I don't even want to be thought of as a hero. I just want everybody to tell me thanks and walk away and forget about it is what I want.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And you had had a prayer meeting with other drivers about this?
LANCZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: How long ago?
LANCZ: Last Thursday. We had 50 drivers and one bunch had a prayer meeting up there 20 miles from where this happened and we thought - we knew our prayer was going to be answered. We knew that sometime or the other. That's the way we believe. I go to the Nazarene Church out here in Fort Wright and I'll tell you what, I know they'll be calling me. It's been a wonderful experience, but it's a sad experience to see what has been done in the last 21 days, 21 days today that it happened. So that's about the end of it as far as I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And Ron Lancz, he is a genuine hero. He says he's not really interested in that half million dollar reward. He says if he had his way, he might just distribute to some of the victims' relatives and family members. Ron Lancz speaking to reporters in Ludlow, Kentucky, just a truck driver a few months away from his scheduled retirement. Thanks to him. Thank you very much, Mr. Lancz.
And no more fear here in the Washington area, a community held hostage set free by today's developments and hope that life will finally get back to normal. Plus, a killing in Alabama, a fingerprint left behind and a phone call that led police down South. More on the clue that helped crack the case, also a Gulf War veteran, a closer look at the training John Muhammad received by the U.S. military, all that still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland where we're standing by for a news conference from the Police Chief Charles Moose and his associates. We expect them to emerge at the top of the hour. We, of course, will have live coverage. It will be their first public comments since the arrest early this morning of two suspects in connection with these sniper killings.
There's a palpable sense of relief among the millions of people who live here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area following today's arrest of those two suspects in the sniper case. CNN's Bill Delaney has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All over Montgomery County, Maryland and for hundreds of miles around it, breathing easy again, even after a two-mile run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's freedom. I was afraid to jog for the last three weeks anywhere.
DELANEY: Everywhere having become a front line. How have you been feeling going out there and filling people's tanks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rough, all day long, you know.
DELANEY: Big relief?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes, big release, no Alka Seltzer didn't do that, a big relief.
DELANEY: If you worked outside or just did anything outside.
DELANEY (on camera): Soon, traces you can see of what happened here will be gone, like this makeshift memorial for Pascal Charlot, the victim of the seventh shooting, shot dead exactly two weeks ago while crossing the street. What will linger here, many say, a sense of how suddenly, terribly vulnerable we all can become.
DELANEY (voice over): Linda Quinn heard the shot that killed Charlot.
LINDA QUINN: I can take my daughter to school without looking around me, wondering where is it coming from, was I going to be the one next. Yes, I'm just happy. I don't know, I've just been praying. Eventually, I hope it will just ease out of my mind, but as long as I keep walking past this spot, I will remember it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden it doesn't make any difference where you live because someone can be sitting in the trees directly across from this parking lot and you would have absolutely no idea and you should really be on the lookout all the time which is kind of a sad comment on our times.
DELANEY: A time no one who lived through it is likely to put behind them anytime soon. Bill Delaney CNN, Montgomery County, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I can personally testify to all of that, thank you very much Bill. And one of the sniper suspects is no novice when it comes to guns, a look at his military training from Montgomery, Alabama to Montgomery County, Maryland, the piece of the puzzle that led authorities to an arrest. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer with a special report live from Montgomery County, Maryland. Remember, we're expecting shortly the police chief of Montgomery County, Charles Moose, and his associates to emerge from behind me, make a statement, answer reporters' questions. We'll, of course, have live coverage here on CNN.
Meanwhile, let's take a look at some of the latest breaking headlines this hour. The two suspects captured this morning in the D.C. area sniper attacks are in federal court this afternoon. Seventeen-year-old John Lee Malvo has been arraigned as a material witness in the sniper case. Forty-one-year-old John Allen Muhammad is being arraigned on weapons charges.
The FBI is warning that state and local law enforcement nationwide about a possible terror attack against transportation systems in the United States, especially railroads. Officials say the warning is based on information from al Qaeda prisoners.
And the hostage standoff inside a Moscow theater is now in its second day. About 40 Chechen separatists are holding up to 700 people demanding an end to the war in Chechnya.
Back now to the sniper attacks. Federal officials tell CNN a deadly shooting in Montgomery, Alabama last month led them to Tacoma, Washington. For more on this key piece in the sniper case we go to CNN's Brian Cabell in Montgomery -- Brian.
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're expecting a press conference here as well in the last 25 minutes. We haven't talked to the police chief for about six hours, so we may get additional information, confirmation.
By far, the biggest news of the day was confirmation that we got out of Washington D.C. that the fingerprints of John Malvo match those found in a crime scene here in Montgomery, from a crime September 21 at a liquor store. Two women employees shutting down the store and being attacked at closing time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR BOBBY BRIGHT, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: Two ladies were coming out of the store. They had locked the door and the man approached them from behind.
CABELL (on camera): Did he say anything to them?
BRIGHT: To our knowledge, nothing. And if he did, it's in the statements of the ladies and I really can't reveal that or the lady that was the survivor.
CABELL: And the survivor, she's doing well?
BRIGHT: She's doing much better than we expected this quickly. She is -- she's doing very well. It's a miracle that she's with us today, quite frankly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: A police officer who heard the shots was actually only a couple hundred yards away and managed to pursue the gunmen, got a pretty good look at him, almost apprehended him, but didn't, but came up with a composite stretch and you can compare it to the shot. The picture of John Malvo, some people say it looks similar, some say it does it. In any case, that was the composite sketch. That was the man they were looking for. But now, of course, they have the fingerprints.
The question that has arisen of course here is was John Malvo living here? Was Mr. Muhammad living here? Right now police are looking into that. As I say, we have a press conference coming up in the next half hour or so. We may get some answers to those questions -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We'll be looking at that news conference as well. Thanks very much, Brian Cabell in Montgomery, Alabama.
We have dramatic information also on John Muhammad's rifle training during his service in the U.S. Army. For that we turn to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we have learned today after getting details on John Allen Muhammad's Army service record that as a U.S. Army sergeant, he earned the M-16 Expert Marksmanship Badge. That is the highest, the Army's highest level of achievement in M-16 handling. And what this means is that during his annual qualifications trials, Muhammad was able to hit at least 36 of 40 targets, which were placed at a range of 50 to 300 meters.
Now, what we should tell you is this is a daylight qualification trial and no scope is used during this annual trial. So Army officials point out to us that while he did achieve this very high- level of qualification in M-16 handling, this was far short of anything comparable with Army sniper training or Army Special Forces training. That is a whole different level of marksmanship and expertise. And they emphasize that Muhammad had no connection to Army Special Forces or Army sniper teams.
Muhammad did have in the Army, basic and advanced engineering training and some training in basic winter operations. According to his record, he earned no particular medals or ribbons of great distinction, just some very basic certificate awards of service. He did serve in the Army for nine years. He was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and we have also learned that the jobs he had in the Army were as a metal worker, a combat engineer and a water transport specialist. He apparently drove a water truck -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara, I know you've been working on this all day, did he get an honorable or dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army?
STARR: Very interesting question. Due to privacy concerns, the Pentagon has told us all day that they will not be able to tell us. But there's something very interesting in his record that gives us a big hint. After he left active duty service in 1994, this man joined the Oregon National Guard and we are told that there's really no way the National Guard would have accepted him into service unless he had received an honorable discharge from his active duty service with the U.S. Army. So we are led to believe he did receive an honorable discharge.
BLITZER: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon thanks for that good reporting.
And we're getting more information now from CNN's Jeanne Meserve. She's with me here in Montgomery County.
What's going on?
MESERVE: Wolf, one law enforcement official is describing the 1990 Chevy Caprice, which was seized last night, as a killing machine. This law enforcement official described two holes that had been drilled into the back of the car, one on top of the other about three inches in diameter, one apparently for the rifle, the other apparently for the scope. The backseat of the car moved in such a way that someone could gain access to the trunk from the central cab of the car and could get back there. And to this law enforcement official, it was apparent that it was the perfect place from which to fire a gun.
Now, this would have a couple of serious advantages for someone who wanted to do their sniping inconspicuously. You could park this car and no one would ever be aware of what was in there. We're told that they disguised the holes in the back with socks, also the cartridge, after one fired, would fall right into the trunk of the car. The trunk of the car would likely muscle the sound of the shot. And also, one could theorize that if there were two people involved in these attacks, one person could be firing, the other in the driver's seat and so that would allow for a quick getaway from the scene.
BLITZER: That's a chilling, chilling report. A killing machine, that Chevy Caprice. Why wasn't more attention paid to that Caprice after Chief Ramsey, Charles Ramsey, the D.C. police chief said, "Look for a Chevy Caprice?" He thought it was burgundy, but still, we were all looking for a white van?
MESERVE: I think in part because there had been a Chevy Caprice found in D.C. a couple of days later that were burned out -- that was burned out. And I think some people felt perhaps that was the vehicle that had been sighted. Also, they did have credible witness reports from other shooting locations of these other vehicles. That's what they gleaned those composite drawings from.
BLITZER: OK, good work. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much.
When we come back, he lost his brother to the sniper and now he's speaking out. Bob Meyers on his brother, Dean. All of that coming up and later, looking into the suspect's past. He converted to a religion of peace, but is accused of violent acts. Now the Muslim community is talking. We'll have that. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer with a special report live from Montgomery County, Maryland. The Washington area sniper shootings not only terrorized a region, but devastated families and loved ones of the victims. Bob Meyers' brother, Dean Harold Meyers, was the seventh person killed in the sniper rampage. Bob Meyers is joining us now live from Philadelphia.
Mr. Meyers, thanks so much for join us, our deepest condolences to you. Tell us what's going through your mind as you see and hear about these dramatic developments.
BOB MEYERS, BROTHER OF SNIPER VICTIM: Well, we certainly have great level of relief, particularly for those that are still in the D.C. area because every time that we would hear of another incident, our hearts sank and we would have a lot of empathy for those that were just entering into the many emotions and difficulties that we faced before.
BLITZER: Tell us how your family, all your relatives and close friends of your brother are now dealing with this enormous, enormous tragedy.
MEYERS: Well, we've chosen to trust God rather than question him or criticize him. We recognize that if God wanted it to be different, he could have changed it and we are not really in a position to question or criticize him. So what we've done is decided to take a positive approach and recognize his sovereignty and trust him and look for good outcomes that can come out of a really challenging situation.
BLITZER: And remind our viewers how your brother, Dean -- what was he doing when he was gunned down?
MEYERS: He was at a gas station, I believe, putting a credit card in the gas pump.
BLITZER: And any -- and then, simply out of the blue, he was driving -- was he driving home? He was driving home from work, is that right?
MEYERS: Yes, he had worked late that night. It was about 8:15 or thereabouts. And he was leaving work late and needed gas apparently on his way home.
BLITZER: What do you want to see happen to those who killed your brother whoever it turns out to be, whatever turns out to be the case?
MEYERS: Well, we believe that we're not to avenge ourselves. That's pretty clear from the Bible, so we look to the authorities that God has put in place. One of the great institutions that he has set up is the institution of human government and we believe that that's the right venue to deal with here on earth. We also recognize that in the same passage that he instructs us not to avenge ourselves, that he also says that he'll avenge such losses. So whatever the Judicial Branch determines and whatever God determines we defer to. BLITZER: Bob Meyers, the brother of Dean Harold Meyers, a religious man, thanks for your thoughts. Thanks for joining us today. We appreciate it very much and once again, our deepest condolences to you and to your entire family.
MEYERS: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: When we come back, a suspect that converted to Islam, a faith that teaches peace. Why would a follower be accused of turning to violence? My next guest speaks out for the Muslim community. We'll get her reaction. That's all coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: As we reported, the sniper suspect, John Muhammad, converted to Islam in the mid 1980s. Joining us now to talk about that aspect of this case is Sarah Eltantawi. She's the communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Sarah, thanks for joining us. When you heard that this morning, John Muhammad, a Muslim, accused of this kind of crime, what went through your mind?
SARAH ELTANTAWI, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Well, I think it's horrible that anybody would commit this kind of crime, of course, and the fact that he's Muslim makes it a lot more personal and a lot worse to worry about backlashes in the community. But, you know, this -- it doesn't matter what his religion is. I think that, you know, we can -- as a Muslim and as people representing the Muslim community, you can't account for the abhorrent actions of every single Muslim.
BLITZER: I think that's fair enough to say though, of course. Do -- the Muslim -- the leadership, the faith, the whole practice of Islam preaches peace, yet we do get these kinds of activities coming on the heels. And there's no evidence this is at all connected to terrorism or al Qaeda or anything like, that but there is this image of Islam that isn't part of the reality.
ELTANTAWI: Right, well, sure, but you get that with everyone, with every faith. And we've had a -- we've had a walking killer. We've had Son of Sam. We've had the Night Stalker, all kinds of different lunatics out there who belong to different faiths and we can't indict the entire faith because of the actions of a few. Of course, Islam has gotten some bad press since September 11 and that's unfortunate. And for your viewers out there, who are making this connection, you know, he doesn't have connections to any of these terrorist groups.
I can say that my name is Joan of Arc and then, you know, commit horrible atrocities. I don't think that has anything to do with Christianity. And I think that the Muslim community, for the most part, is we're just so relieved that this man has been caught. We are so relieved that we can now live in this community safely along with the rest of Americans.
We've been helping out with local law enforcement. A lot of us live in this area and you know we're just reacting like everyone else has. And again, there's that special sadness that this person claims to be a Muslim, but you can claim to be anyone and do anything and it's just -- it has nothing whatsoever to do with the faith and I think that's pretty clear.
BLITZER: And I think one of the responsibilities you have is to try to work to make sure to clarify that so there isn't a backlash against Muslims.
ELTANTAWI: Yes, yes, absolutely. There's simply nothing whatsoever in this faith or other great faiths that would instruct somebody to go out and do this kind of wanton killing and massacring of innocent people. It's just absolutely horrendous.
BLITZER: Sarah Eltantawi, thanks for joining us.
ELTANTAWI: Thank you.
BLITZER: And I can only reiterate -- I can only underline exactly what you said that just because there's a bad apple that doesn't mean the whole case is bad. Obviously, Muslims, the overwhelming -- almost all Muslims in country are law-abiding, honorable, wonderful citizens...
ELTANTAWI: Thank you so much.
BLITZER: ... of this country. Thanks for joining us.
ELTANTAWI: Thank you.
BLITZER: Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." What do you think was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest? Was it the law enforcement effort, the suspects' mistakes, media coverage, or citizen tips? Log onto CNN.com/Wolf. That's when where you can vote. We'll have the results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Please be sure to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the sniper attacks case. At 8:00 p.m. Eastern, a Connie Chung special on the sniper suspects. Who are the men allegedly behind the D.C. area killing spree? Then hear from John Muhammad's family members on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 Eastern. And at 10:00 Eastern, how police cracked the case. See what it all took to put all the pieces together, all that coming up tonight.
Now here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Questions of The Day." Earlier we asked, who do you think was -- what was -- what, do you think, was the main factor leading to this morning's arrest? Look at this, 41 percent of you say law enforcement effort did it. Twenty- eight percent say suspects' mistakes. Six percent accredited media coverage. Twenty-six percent said citizen tips. You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote, by the way, on my Website, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, of course, this is not a scientific poll. Time to hear now from you. We have some e-mails. Roland, the question everybody seems to be asking -- "If these are the snipers, who gets the reward money? It should go to the rest area tipster. That would encourage the public to assist in future cases."
About the 17-year-old suspect, Rita writes, "Exactly where is this kid's mother? Someone must have primary custody of this juvenile. How did they let him get mixed up with John Muhammad?"
And Al wants to point out this -- "The word 'terrorist' does not apply only to people of a specific race or religion, but to anyone who tries to insight terror by mentally or physically harming others. Just because the sniper has terrorized the D.C. area does not mean he is tied to a network like al Qaeda."
The sniper attacks left 13 victims behind here in the Washington D.C. area. Two adults and a middle school student survived the rampage. Today, we remember those who did not. May they all rest in peace.
That's all the time we have today. Please join me again tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern and please join us everyday at noon Eastern as well, on weekdays, that is. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Montgomery County, Maryland. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.
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