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CNN Live Saturday
Sniper on the Loose, Part II
Aired October 19, 2002 - 13:02 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get right to the latest on this search for the sniper on the loose.
It has been close now to five days with no new shootings in the Washington, D.C. area but also there is very little information in the case or at least being revealed in the investigation. Police did not -- did talk a short time ago about the discovery of that white box truck with a shell casing inside. CNN's Carol Costello is there and she joins us live from Montgomery County, Maryland with the latest.
Now Carol, it sounds like investigators want to stay rather tight-lipped about what they are learning or not learning from that shell casing.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's an understatement, Fredricka. They're not saying anything about this. We waited anxiously from last night on to noon today to see what Chief Charles Moose had to say about the shell casing and he's not saying anything about it. In fact, police won't say anything about the shell casing until Monday afternoon at noon at the minimum, which means we may not find out until Tuesday or Wednesday. We just don't know.
Chief Moose wouldn't even go into any detail about what kind of tests they were conducting on the shell casing or on this white box type truck. So here's what we know so far.
We know that a rental car employee around 3:30 yesterday afternoon was vacuuming out a white box type truck that someone had returned. In the process of vacuuming this truck, he found the shell casing we believe at the back of the truck. He called police. Police went and confiscated that struck. They hauled it away to someplace where they're going over it with a fine-toothed comb.
We do know the shell casing is at the ATF Laboratories here at Rockville, Maryland, and as I said before, that's about all we know. Chief Moose did congratulate the rental car employee, though, for his good citizenship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Certainly there is a lot of information out about the white box truck that was seized from a car rental agency in Virginia yesterday. Certainly that vehicle and shell casing were seized. We are in the process of looking at all of that. Do not expect to have any information to provide on that matter until at the earliest on Monday. And certainly, we continue to ask for assistance from the public. Where as this may or may not remove the white box truck, this is a good example of people hearing the message, people seeing things and then notifying local authorities. We appreciate that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And one reporter did ask Chief Moose if the lack of information being given out today was because police were really on to something. Chief Moose would not answer that question. He would only say, and I quote, "if we talk about things too much, it just complicates things." So the mystery deepens. We don't know if that box type truck has anything at all to do with the sniper shootings. We don't know if the shell casing has anything to do with the sniper's gun. And we won't know until sometime next week.
In fact, there's not another press briefing until noon on Monday. There will be no press briefing tomorrow because Chief Moose says there's just nothing to say.
What is going on ironically today in Montgomery County, not far from where I am, is a gun show, maybe featuring the types of guns the sniper may be using. It's taking place in Gaithersburg, I believe at the fairgrounds and that's where CNN Ed Lavandera is right now.
Hi, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, for the last 12 years, the Silverado gun show has gone on here at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. And attendance here usually tops about 2,000 people who make their way through this gun show on this two-day event, today and tomorrow but the organizers of this event now saying that they'll be lucky to reach 700 people for the two-day weekend. And attendance here clearly down as the organizers and gun vendors who are here at this show are saying at this point.
And I've had a chance to speak with several of the vendors, have made our way around the show. And the feeling here about this sniper terrorizing the Washington, D.C. area is a lot of angry words coming from the gun vendors that are here. They're calling him a psycho killer that needs to be arrested as soon as possible. And they're very angry at this sniper because, in the minds of a lot of folks here, this sniper is giving the lawful owners and the law-abiding gun owners of this area they say a very bad image and they're afraid that in the long run, as this -- the longer the sniper is on the loose, the more harm it will do to their cause. So it's something they're paying close attention to.
Also got into the aspect of whether or not they're seeing a lot of people flock to these gun shows to buying up guns for their own protection here in Maryland. The vendors saying they're not seeing much of that. We have seen reports that in Virginia, permits for gun applications have gone up as well. But at this point, many of the gun owners also go on to say that, in this particular case, unfortunately, it doesn't matter whether or not you have a gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN FITZELL, GUN STORE OWNER: But I'm not seeing panic buying or anyone coming through and saying, you know, I need a gun. You can't protect yourself against what this guy is doing. The police can't protect you. You can't protect yourself. I mean a sniper is a sniper. He's shooting people that are unarmed and unaware of where his location is. So there's really no protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: So, again, this gun show will continue to go on through tomorrow and many of the vendors here saying that perhaps the story of the sniper keeping a lot of people away as a lot of people they suspect just don't want to be outdoors very much this weekend.
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Boy, you're not kidding about that, Ed. Something I was wondering about. Usually don't they let reporters into that gun show to look around? Did they let you in or are they too sensitive for the media to shoot inside this gun show at this particular time?
LAVANDERA: They've been more than happy to let us walk around the gun show. Unfortunately, they haven't allowed us to take our cameras inside. And it just kind of depends on which gun show you happen to attend across the country. But in this particular one, more than happy to let us in but just don't bring any cameras.
COSTELLO: All right. Thanks, Ed, very much. So, again, from Montgomery County, not much new information to tell you sadly only that the shell casing was found in this white box type truck. And, Fredricka, we just don't know much more than that.
WHITFIELD: All right. And Carol, our next briefing from authorities there, you're saying Monday, correct?
COSTELLO: Monday at noon.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Carol Costello from Montgomery Country, Maryland.
Well, theories abound on the person or persons behind the sniper slayings. Here are some of the guesses. A former serviceman or an ex-police officer, maybe even a terrorist or just a homegrown person trying to make a statement.
Overseas, an al Qaeda suspect has bragged about sniper training given at terror camps but is he for real? CNN's Sheila MacVicar has more on the story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): European intelligence sources tell CNN that this much of the story is true. Nizzar Trabelsi (ph), who's in a Belgian prison on charges of plotting to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Paris, told his Belgian interrogators a little more than a week ago that he had information about snipers and al Qaeda. This, of course, after the Washington sniper story had broken.
The Belgians summoned their FBI colleagues and over the course of the last week, people from the FBI interrogated Nizzar Trabelsi in his Belgian jail. He told them that he had seen or witnessed Al -Qaeda training snipers in a camp in Afghanistan. That they were trained to fire it up to distances of 820 feet, trained to work in two or three man squads and even that he had seen them training to work from a moving vehicle.
Here's the problem. CNN has been told both by sources in Belgium and the United States that Mr. Trabelsi is not considered credible. That he has lied to his interrogators in the past and that he raised this story of this sniper training only after that story had begun getting major play in the European media. Mr. Trabelsi has daily access to newspapers, radio and television.
Belgian investigators also point out that Mr. Trabelsi (ph) is a member of a group called The Selaphists (ph) and as part of their doctrine, The Selaphists believe that they can continue to wage the struggle even while imprisoned while seeking to deceive their interrogators. And Belgian counterintelligence officials are convinced that this is what has happened in this case.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN will continue to bring you the most in-depth and up to the minute coverage of that story.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 19, 2002 - 13:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get right to the latest on this search for the sniper on the loose.
It has been close now to five days with no new shootings in the Washington, D.C. area but also there is very little information in the case or at least being revealed in the investigation. Police did not -- did talk a short time ago about the discovery of that white box truck with a shell casing inside. CNN's Carol Costello is there and she joins us live from Montgomery County, Maryland with the latest.
Now Carol, it sounds like investigators want to stay rather tight-lipped about what they are learning or not learning from that shell casing.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's an understatement, Fredricka. They're not saying anything about this. We waited anxiously from last night on to noon today to see what Chief Charles Moose had to say about the shell casing and he's not saying anything about it. In fact, police won't say anything about the shell casing until Monday afternoon at noon at the minimum, which means we may not find out until Tuesday or Wednesday. We just don't know.
Chief Moose wouldn't even go into any detail about what kind of tests they were conducting on the shell casing or on this white box type truck. So here's what we know so far.
We know that a rental car employee around 3:30 yesterday afternoon was vacuuming out a white box type truck that someone had returned. In the process of vacuuming this truck, he found the shell casing we believe at the back of the truck. He called police. Police went and confiscated that struck. They hauled it away to someplace where they're going over it with a fine-toothed comb.
We do know the shell casing is at the ATF Laboratories here at Rockville, Maryland, and as I said before, that's about all we know. Chief Moose did congratulate the rental car employee, though, for his good citizenship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Certainly there is a lot of information out about the white box truck that was seized from a car rental agency in Virginia yesterday. Certainly that vehicle and shell casing were seized. We are in the process of looking at all of that. Do not expect to have any information to provide on that matter until at the earliest on Monday. And certainly, we continue to ask for assistance from the public. Where as this may or may not remove the white box truck, this is a good example of people hearing the message, people seeing things and then notifying local authorities. We appreciate that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And one reporter did ask Chief Moose if the lack of information being given out today was because police were really on to something. Chief Moose would not answer that question. He would only say, and I quote, "if we talk about things too much, it just complicates things." So the mystery deepens. We don't know if that box type truck has anything at all to do with the sniper shootings. We don't know if the shell casing has anything to do with the sniper's gun. And we won't know until sometime next week.
In fact, there's not another press briefing until noon on Monday. There will be no press briefing tomorrow because Chief Moose says there's just nothing to say.
What is going on ironically today in Montgomery County, not far from where I am, is a gun show, maybe featuring the types of guns the sniper may be using. It's taking place in Gaithersburg, I believe at the fairgrounds and that's where CNN Ed Lavandera is right now.
Hi, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, for the last 12 years, the Silverado gun show has gone on here at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. And attendance here usually tops about 2,000 people who make their way through this gun show on this two-day event, today and tomorrow but the organizers of this event now saying that they'll be lucky to reach 700 people for the two-day weekend. And attendance here clearly down as the organizers and gun vendors who are here at this show are saying at this point.
And I've had a chance to speak with several of the vendors, have made our way around the show. And the feeling here about this sniper terrorizing the Washington, D.C. area is a lot of angry words coming from the gun vendors that are here. They're calling him a psycho killer that needs to be arrested as soon as possible. And they're very angry at this sniper because, in the minds of a lot of folks here, this sniper is giving the lawful owners and the law-abiding gun owners of this area they say a very bad image and they're afraid that in the long run, as this -- the longer the sniper is on the loose, the more harm it will do to their cause. So it's something they're paying close attention to.
Also got into the aspect of whether or not they're seeing a lot of people flock to these gun shows to buying up guns for their own protection here in Maryland. The vendors saying they're not seeing much of that. We have seen reports that in Virginia, permits for gun applications have gone up as well. But at this point, many of the gun owners also go on to say that, in this particular case, unfortunately, it doesn't matter whether or not you have a gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN FITZELL, GUN STORE OWNER: But I'm not seeing panic buying or anyone coming through and saying, you know, I need a gun. You can't protect yourself against what this guy is doing. The police can't protect you. You can't protect yourself. I mean a sniper is a sniper. He's shooting people that are unarmed and unaware of where his location is. So there's really no protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: So, again, this gun show will continue to go on through tomorrow and many of the vendors here saying that perhaps the story of the sniper keeping a lot of people away as a lot of people they suspect just don't want to be outdoors very much this weekend.
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Boy, you're not kidding about that, Ed. Something I was wondering about. Usually don't they let reporters into that gun show to look around? Did they let you in or are they too sensitive for the media to shoot inside this gun show at this particular time?
LAVANDERA: They've been more than happy to let us walk around the gun show. Unfortunately, they haven't allowed us to take our cameras inside. And it just kind of depends on which gun show you happen to attend across the country. But in this particular one, more than happy to let us in but just don't bring any cameras.
COSTELLO: All right. Thanks, Ed, very much. So, again, from Montgomery County, not much new information to tell you sadly only that the shell casing was found in this white box type truck. And, Fredricka, we just don't know much more than that.
WHITFIELD: All right. And Carol, our next briefing from authorities there, you're saying Monday, correct?
COSTELLO: Monday at noon.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Carol Costello from Montgomery Country, Maryland.
Well, theories abound on the person or persons behind the sniper slayings. Here are some of the guesses. A former serviceman or an ex-police officer, maybe even a terrorist or just a homegrown person trying to make a statement.
Overseas, an al Qaeda suspect has bragged about sniper training given at terror camps but is he for real? CNN's Sheila MacVicar has more on the story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): European intelligence sources tell CNN that this much of the story is true. Nizzar Trabelsi (ph), who's in a Belgian prison on charges of plotting to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Paris, told his Belgian interrogators a little more than a week ago that he had information about snipers and al Qaeda. This, of course, after the Washington sniper story had broken.
The Belgians summoned their FBI colleagues and over the course of the last week, people from the FBI interrogated Nizzar Trabelsi in his Belgian jail. He told them that he had seen or witnessed Al -Qaeda training snipers in a camp in Afghanistan. That they were trained to fire it up to distances of 820 feet, trained to work in two or three man squads and even that he had seen them training to work from a moving vehicle.
Here's the problem. CNN has been told both by sources in Belgium and the United States that Mr. Trabelsi is not considered credible. That he has lied to his interrogators in the past and that he raised this story of this sniper training only after that story had begun getting major play in the European media. Mr. Trabelsi has daily access to newspapers, radio and television.
Belgian investigators also point out that Mr. Trabelsi (ph) is a member of a group called The Selaphists (ph) and as part of their doctrine, The Selaphists believe that they can continue to wage the struggle even while imprisoned while seeking to deceive their interrogators. And Belgian counterintelligence officials are convinced that this is what has happened in this case.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN will continue to bring you the most in-depth and up to the minute coverage of that story.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
