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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Washington Area Sniper Still Free; Singer Speaks Out Against Colin Powell; New York City Turns Up Security

Aired October 09, 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, CNN HOST: Searching for a killer, and now a clue in the sniper shootings, a message to police scrawled on a Tarot card but the police chief isn't happy.

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: There's not been anything authorized for release by me.

BLITZER: A sniper's tools, weapons and technology are out there for almost anyone who wants them. We'll visit a gun shop. Your child's school just might be the safest place in times of danger. The president's case against Iraq, a showdown in the Senate.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: He's got to do better than the shoddy piecing together of flimsy evidence that contradicts the very briefings we have received by various agencies.

BLITZER: A new mystery about Osama bin Laden's right hand man and why is Harry Belafonte not singing the praises of Colin Powell?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, October 9, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer at the CNN Center in Atlanta. A tip sends police scrambling in the search for a sniper in the Washington, D.C. area as clues found at the scene of one shooting spark hope and controversy. We begin with CNN's Kathleen Koch. She's at the county headquarters of the police department in Rockville, Maryland -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, first of all, let's say that there is truly a sense of relief here in Montgomery County, in the entire Washington, D.C. region because up until this point there have been no new sniper shootings. However, there is a very deep sense of unease because of some disturbing new evidence that's come out in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice over): A taunting calling card found at the site of Monday's shooting police say may or may not have been left by the killer. A tarot or fortune-telling card like this one that law enforcement sources say shows the figure of death. A message on the card reads: "Dear policeman, I am God." The Montgomery County, Maryland police chief was livid the information had leaked, first reported by a local TV station. MOOSE: I am convinced that we are broaching interference and the interference is unacceptable.

KOCH: Moose says police have now tightened up procedures to prevent future leaks.

MOOSE: This is an unwanted adjustment and it does slow us down. It does alter it but we will proceed. We will exercise due diligence but yes, it has caused a change.

KOCH: Law enforcement sources say evidence found at the Bowie, Maryland middle school, including the card, has been taken to an FBI lab for routine testing, looking for possible DNA, fingerprints, the card's origin, and analysis of the message. Ballistics tests have determined the casing found at the same site is a .223 round, the same type of ammunition used in other shootings.

No word on whether fingerprints were found or whether markings on the casing reveal what gun it was fired from. Dozens of officers, aided by dogs and helicopters combed through a wooded area in Prince George's County, Maryland after a resident reported seeing a man enter carrying a dark bag. Nothing turned up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (on camera): Credible tips in this case now number some 1,600 and the reward money is pouring in, Wolf, from around the country. Now it tops $240,000. And, one final sad note, the first victim of the sniper shootings, 55-year-old James Martin was laid to rest today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch reporting to us live from Montgomery County, Maryland. That's just outside the nation's capitol. And meanwhile, Montgomery County Police are asking those who may have information about the sniper to call their hotlines. These are the numbers. You see them on the screen, 1-800-755-9424 or 240-777-2600. They can contribute to the reward fund for Montgomery County by calling 240-777-8970.

Five of the six sniper killings have occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland's largest. Now helping to manage the crisis that sorely tested the resources and the nerves of the entire Washington area is the County Executive Doug Duncan. He's been to four funerals in the last four days.

Mr. Duncan thanks for joining us. I know this is extremely difficult, not only for you but for all of us who happen to live in Montgomery County, right now the entire Washington, D.C. area. Without getting into specifics because I know you can't, can you say there has been some progress in finding this killer or killers?

DOUG DUNCAN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Oh, clearly there's been progress made. When we started last week we didn't have a lot of information, the nature of the shootings, the sniper-like techniques from a distance didn't give us a lot of eyewitnesses, didn't give us a lot of information. So, when we went to the public and said if you were near the scene, if you were near the place at the time of the shootings, think back, jog your memory, call us up. So now we've got, less than a week later we've got over 1,600 credible leads. So just the fact we have a lot information that we can track down now means we've made progress.

BLITZER: The whole release of this fortune-telling card and what was written on it has been widely reported. Has that been a major setback in the investigation, the fact that that was leaked to the news media?

DUNCAN: Well, it was a setback. It's very disappointing to me that this happened. We've made corrections internally to try to prevent something like that from happening again and we've talked to the media about being very careful about what they are telling the public.

We are releasing information as best we can if we feel the information is going to help the public help us find who's doing this. If not, we want to keep that information private to let the investigators go about their business and this was a setback, but we still got an awful lot of leads. We're still moving forward and we're more determined and resolved than we've ever been after the setbacks.

BLITZER: This is clearly one of the most frightening weeks in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Tell our viewers who may not get the sense of what's going on what's really going on in Montgomery County right now, especially as far as young people are concerned.

DUNCAN: I mean just picture a county of about 900,000 people, a mixture of farmland, one-third of our county is open space farmland with, you know, a lot of jobs here, a lot of residences here, and you have a crime rate where you have normally 15 to 20 murders per year in your county.

And then all of a sudden we're hit with a 16-hour period here where we get five murders, one right after the other. So, in a 16- hour period we had roughly 25 percent of the murders we get over a year. So, a shockwave went through the community after that and then things started to settle out a little bit, settle down, some people out and about over the weekend, high school football games, community events, and then Monday the second shockwave came when the young student, young boy in Prince George's County was shot. We have anxiety levels here, fear levels here that I think are higher than they were after September 11th and after the anthrax attacks.

BLITZER: Do you think those of us in the news media who have been putting on the air these profilers, former law enforcement profilers are doing a disservice to the investigation?

DUNCAN: Well I'll just say I think the media has been extremely helpful to us in this investigation. They have relayed information to the public that we've asked them to. They have helped us with the tips. They've helped us with the reward fund. They've done an awful lot of things to help us, particularly I think in terms of offering reassurances to the public, letting us talk to the public, reassure the public, try to keep the public as calm as they can be.

But when you sort of shift from that into we're going to break a story, we're going to leak some evidence that was found and give that to the public when it hasn't been authorized for release, I think that does cause some concern, and as I said earlier that was a setback for us.

BLITZER: The Montgomery County Executive on the scene working very hard for all of us. Doug Duncan thanks for that information, appreciate your work, appreciate your joining us today.

The latest sniper shooting just outside a Maryland junior high is renewing questions about overall school safety; more on that now from CNN Education Correspondent Kathy Slobogin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The schoolyard images most people cherish have been pushed aside in recent years, replaced by fears of school shootings, the threat of terrorism and now the danger of a sniper attack. But school officials say the reality is that tragedy has made schools safer than ever.

FRED ELLIS, FAIRFAX COUNTY DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY: Absolutely, there's no question about it. Schools have spent a great deal of time thinking about preparing for training, for responding to critical incidents that they didn't do before.

SLOBOGIN: School Safety Chief Fred Ellis says in Fairfax County, Virginia there's more money and more hardware for security. The county is now testing 18 different door technologies, beefing up radio communication, and training school personnel year round, 165 crisis simulations last year alone.

ELLIS: We basically walk them through a real bad day. It can be anything from being able to practice fire drills, response to injured students, to violent intruders in the building, bomb threats.

SLOBOGIN: But just as important a new hardware are efforts to prevent blowups by helping troubled students.

BILL MODZELESKI, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: We also have to develop what people call the software heart ware. These are mentoring programs, after school programs, programs which really link students up to adults, responsible adults.

SLOBOGIN: While large school districts, like Fairfax, have well developed crisis plans, there's evidence that may not be true everywhere. A recent national survey of school-based police officers found that 79 percent feel their schools are not prepared for a terrorist attack, 55 percent felt their school crisis plans were inadequate, and 52 percent reported those plans have never been tested. But officials say to remember that school shootings and terrorist attacks, while frightening, are rare events.

SLOBOGIN (on camera): Experts say the real danger to students if the threat of everyday violence, bullying, gangs, weapons brought to school, and over the last few years the number of those incidents, according to the Education Department, has consistently declined. Kathy Slobogin CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Another confrontation in Kuwait one day after a marine was killed there. Now the Pentagon says al Qaeda was behind the first attack. And, there's another breaking development to the story. We'll report that in just a few moments. Plus, terror suspected in the heartland, an Islamic charity director indicted. The government says he's been working with bin Laden for years; and, Harry Belafonte with harsh words for Colin Powell; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): The European Union is making big expansion plans. The EU Executive Commission is recommending membership invitations for ten countries. Eight are East European nations including Hungary and Poland. The two others are Malta and Cyprus.

Colombia has arrested more than a dozen suspects wanted on U.S. drug charges. They include a former Colombian Senator. Officials say the suspects were members of a cocaine trafficking ring with ties to right wing paramilitary groups.

People who say they were the victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests met with U.N. representatives in Geneva. They say the church is in violation of U.N. rules on children's rights because it failed to take action against pedophile priests. There was no immediate response from the Vatican.

Some former German soldiers have filed a class action suit against several U.S. makers of radar equipment. They say design flaws allow the equipment to emit dangerous radiation causing hundreds of them to develop cancer.

We're not exactly sure what this new sculpture is supposed to be but whatever it is it's very, big. Some say this 500-foot creation at a London art gallery is the world's biggest sculpture but not everyone is impressed. One British newspaper said the artwork is unforgettable but stupid, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Kuwaiti officials say they're questioning hundreds of people about the attacks on U.S. Marines in Kuwait, and as we mentioned CNN has just learned the head of that country's Grande Mosque is among them. Our producer on the scene, Hugh Williams, is joining us now on the phone. He's in Kuwait and he has late-breaking developments. Hugh, tell us all about it.

HUGH WILLIAMS, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): Wolf, officials sources in Kuwait are telling CNN that the Imam of the Grande Mosque of Kuwait is currently under investigation for possibly having direct links with the two men who carried out the attacks on U.S. Marines Tuesday on Failaka Island in Kuwait.

The Imam, Yasser al-Failaka (ph) is currently being questioned by authorities here for allegedly providing assistance to the two Kuwaiti civilians who died after being shot by U.S. Marines who returned fire during a scheduled training exercise on Tuesday.

Apparently, the Imam who grew up on the island and shares the same name, is being investigated for allegedly facilitating access to a group of civilians who are linked to this shooting incident in which one marine was killed and one was injured.

Now if, in fact, the Imam is found to have helped these attackers, it will draw a lot of political attention and is sure to ignite debate amongst Kuwaiti parliament members as to how they are handling the issue of fundamentalist groups here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Hugh Williams, a potentially very significant development. Thanks for that breaking news. For more on the second straight day of danger for U.S. troops in Kuwait, let's turn to our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. She's joining us now live -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well indeed, Wolf, earlier today U.S. troops had their second encounter with hostility in Kuwait, the second encounter in two days. U.S. troops were driving a military vehicle just outside of Kuwait City when they were approached by a civilian vehicle.

That vehicle pulled in front of them, overtook them, and one of the unknown civilians inside that vehicle then drew a weapon and pointed it at the U.S. troops driving in their armored vehicle. The U.S. troops then returned fire, striking the vehicle with one single bullet. The vehicle carrying the civilians then went out of control off the road, the U.S. troops returning to their camp uninjured.

But, yesterday's incident indeed has now taken on increased seriousness here in Washington. U.S. officials say they now believe that there were al Qaeda connections to yesterday's incident in which one marine was killed and one marine injured. They believe the two assailants who were killed did have ties to the al Qaeda, that they had been to Afghanistan, trained in al Qaeda camps, and possibly had relatives now being detained by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay.

Officials stress here, however, they can not make a firm connection that al Qaeda leaders ordered the attack against the U.S. Marines yesterday. They know that there was a connection. They don't know, however, if perhaps this was the first of several independent operations in Kuwait once a very strong U.S. ally -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Barbara, is there any connection as far and your sources can tell between the timing of these latest dangerous encounters for U.S. Marines in Kuwait and the release of some purported al Qaeda recordings?

STARR: That is exactly the question that U.S. officials are trying to look at; of course, there have been the number of releases from al Qaeda leaders in recent days. U.S. officials are beginning to wonder but they don't know if there is some tie, these latest two incidents having a very coincidental timing.

BLITZER: Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara thanks very much. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are analyzing those audiotapes. Our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena is live in Washington. She has that part of the story -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, U.S. officials tell CNN that they do believe that the voice heard on an audiotape recently obtained by a news organization is, as claimed, that of senior al Qaeda operative Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

Now, Zawahiri is one of the most wanted men in the world. He's considered to be the number two in the al Qaeda hierarchy and one of the organization's primary strategists. Those officials say that experts who are familiar with Zawahiri's voice believe that the tape is authentic but evaluation continues so they can be 100 percent sure.

There were several dated references on the tape leading officials to believe that it was made somewhere around July. On it, Zawahiri threatens fresh attacks against the United States and its economy and claims that Osama bin Laden, as well as the head of the Taliban Mullah Omar are still alive. Zawahiri's whereabouts, as well as Osama bin Laden's, are still unknown and it is unclear where this tape was made, Wolf back to you.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena with the latest thanks very much. And the head of an Illinois-based Islamic charity was indicted today on charges he funneled donations to al Qaeda and other violent groups. Our Chicago Bureau Chief Jeff Flock is standing by. He's all over this story as well -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Wolf, you may remember some of those Muslim charities that had their assets frozen, their files seized the earlier part of this year. Well today, the government says Benevolence International Foundation, one based here outside Chicago, today they say they can prove the leader of that organization has been funding terrorism for the last decade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice over): The government says these are not the pictures of the leader of a charitable organization. According to the government, they are pictures of Inam Arnot (ph) who ran the Benevolence International Foundation headquartered here in suburban Chicago, which instead of doing charity, the attorney general now says, funded violence and terrorism worldwide.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Inam Arnot is charged with using a purportedly charitable organization to deceive Muslim-American charitable givers who are obliged by the principles of their religion to donate to legitimate charity.

FLOCK: The pictures of the now 40-year-old Syrian-born Arnot were seized from a Benevolence International office in Bosnia. The government says that office also yielded evidence that the charity bought mortars and rockets, notes on the founding of the al Qaeda terrorist network, this Arab newspaper article with a picture of Arnot and Osama bin Laden, and evidence that Arnot repeatedly hid the funding of terrorism once telling a Benevolence Fund employee that financial support for a mujahaddin fighter couldn't go on the charity's books.

ASHCROFT: And that the employee should create a new list of orphans as a means of justifying the expenditures.

FLOCK: A review of Benevolence International Fund financial records show expenditures of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bosnia, Pakistan, and Chechnya. Fund expenditures totaled more than $2.7 million in the last fiscal year, $1.7 million in the year before that.

ASHCROFT: The Department of Justice under the leadership of the president will use every means and leave no stone unturned in finding those who will knowingly fund violence and terrorist groups. We will sort through the evidence and separate legitimate donors from those who break the law.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: But, Wolf, here is the evidence. CNN has obtained a copy of this organization's 990 tax filing for the past year. In it they have to list all the top donors. Now the copy that we got unfortunately, perhaps you can see, has all of the top donors whited out, but we can see the amounts that they donated, Wolf, and it's interesting to see some donors donating as much as $100,000, $79,000, $48,000.

If the government is going to pursue individuals looking for people that had the notion that perhaps they knew where they were donating, that money was going to a bad place, those would be the first people they would presumably look at, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks Jeff Flock with the latest in Chicago. And, will a first strike on Iraq provoke the very thing the White House wants to prevent? The tough question is being asked on Capitol Hill following a letter from the CIA. The Iraq debate also gets emotional. See how when we return. Plus, a female serial killer gets her wish; and, how one man's deep pockets may help end the sniper killings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate are debating whether to give President Bush the authority to use force against Iraq, and the issue is stirring emotions. We check in now with CNN Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Tell us all about it, Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we've known for some time that the president's resolution on Iraq is going to pass in both the Senate and the House at the end of the day, but there are increasing numbers of Democrats that are stepping up and talking out against this resolution.

Democratic vote counters in the House say there may be as many as 100 Democrats that vote against this. That's almost half the caucus over there, and here in the Senate, there's at least a dozen Democrats that look like they will vote no, possibly as many as 20.

Many of the arguments being made by the Democrats simply is that they don't believe the president has presented the evidence to show that Saddam Hussein presents a clear and present danger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FEINGOLD: If this is premised on some case that has supposedly been made with regard to a subsequent coalition between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government, I think the president has got to do better. He's got to do better than the shoddy piecing together of flimsy evidence that contradicts the very briefings we have received by various agencies, Mr. President. I'm not hearing the same things at the briefings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: But most of the voices on the floor of both the House and the Senate that have been raised, have been raised in support of the president's resolution, including this very emotional appeal from Duke Cunningham, a Republican and a Vietnam Veteran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DUKE CUNNINGHAM (R), CALIFORNIA: I know the horrors brought on the men and women that we will ask to go to war, but I also know the heartache and the pain of the families that are left behind, and I would say to my colleagues, do we want to subject them to the horrors of war in our own country? That's why I have this resolve. I think it's highly probable that that would happen if we don't act and I ask my colleagues don't let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: And, Wolf, we expect the final votes in both the House and the Senate by tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill, Jon thanks very much. The D.C. area sniper defies all profiles but is that a key clue to this person's identity? Also, Robert Blake makes a plea for bail. Find out whether the judge plans to set him free. And, Colin Powell accused of being a house slave by Harry Belafonte, reaction from the State Department still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, a profile of a serial killer. Is the sniper in the D.C. area breaking all the molds? The sniper who's killed six people in the Washington, D.C. area over the past week doesn't seem to fit into a classic pattern of behavior. That may make it tougher to track the shooter down. Joining me now from our Washington bureau is James Starrs. He's a professor of law and forensic science at George Washington University. He's been involved in scientific investigations of notorious killers, including the Boston Strangler.

Professor, thanks very much for joining us. But give us your take on this very, very worrying case in the Washington, D.C. area. What do you see as the profile of this suspect?

PROF. JAMES STARRS, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, we start obviously with the fact that it's a tremendous emotional impact both, as you've already reported, at the political level, as well as at the law enforcement level, with respect to this particular case. And I'm not a great believer in the soft sciences. The soft sciences being behavioral sciences, being those involved that are profiling individuals. I would prefer to rely in the first instance on the hard science, as a result of the physical evidence, the tangible, physical evidence that we have. And as a result of the tarot card today and the casing, the rifle casing, bullet casing, we certainly have a lot more evidence than we had before.

BLITZER: So...

STARRS: And let's track that first.

BLITZER: Yes, but on that specific point, Professor, based on the hard, physical evidence that seems to be there right now what is your -- what direction are you leaning towards?

STARRS: Well, it's clear that we're talking about somebody who has a distinct familiarity and expertise in the use of a long gun, in the use of a rifle. And in addition, we're talking about somebody who, on one hand, seems to be very cunning because any geographical profiler is going to be thrown off by the fact that he -- the killings are not all in Montgomery County or Prince George's. But now, we've got one down in Fredericksburg. So the geographical profiling indicates the person might have conscientiously selected Fredericksburg to throw off such profiling.

On the other hand, to leave a tarot card at the scene, the way the Son of Sam did in the New York cases and the Zodiac Killer did in California, these are not the kind of things that show a cunning and careful killer. This is the kind of thing that could be a dead giveaway for that particular person.

BLITZER: Are there other cases that seem to fit the description of the sniper in this horrendous case in Washington?

STARRS: I can't think of any case of this magnitude in the history of law enforcement in this country over the past 50 years or thereabouts. You can go back to people like the Mad Bomber in New York City in the '50s and '60s to avoid apprehension for 16 years. The Mad Bomber being a person who was setting explosives in various places. And he wasn't apprehended for 16 years but ultimately was.

And the same thing is true of the Green River Murderer out in California and then up in the state of Washington. It took DNA to bring him to bear. However, we don't have DNA in this case. We're relying exclusively on very minute articles such as the fragments from the bullets, the cartridge case. Hopefully the profile left when he was lying in wait to shoot the 13-year-old, possibly fiber that might have been transferred to the scene, possibly shoe prints that are there. All of this can give a better sighting on the individual.

BLITZER: Let's hope it was. Professor James Starrs from George Washington University. Thanks for your insight, appreciate it very much.

STARRS: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Thank you. And the reward for information leading to the capture of the sniper in the Washington area is growing. Today, a Montana developer added $50,000 to the total and he's launching a nationwide effort to raise the reward fund to at least $1 million.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got the news like all of us that the 13-year-old boy had been senselessly shot. I felt that the shooter really raised the anti. He had not shot a child before, so I felt someone needed to raise the anti back on that person who pulled that trigger. And so, I contacted the Montgomery County executives in Maryland and they had a $50,000 reward. And I didn't think that that was really enough money to get somebody to come forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Yesterday, the reward fund was approaching a quarter of a million dollars.

The sniper investigation is drawing on the resources of local, state and federal agencies. But Montgomery County police chief, Charles Moose, is the man in charge. He brings a lot of experience to the task and he brings a lot of passion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Someone is so mean-spirited that they shot a child. Now, all of our victims have been innocent and have been defenseless. But now, we're stepping over the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Charles Moose is taking this investigation personally, a trait which is also consistent with his past. If there is a pattern to Moose's career, it could be one of high profile successes sometimes clouded by emotion. Moose grew up in North Carolina and later moved to Portland, Oregon and rose through that city's police ranks to become chief in 1993. His former colleagues, we spoke to, portrayed Moose as a cop's cop, someone who cared deeply about solving crimes and about the officers he counted on to do it.

He upgraded Portland's community policing system and even bought a house in one of city's worst neighborhoods to lead by example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM POTTER, FORMER PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF: Some people see problems as problems. He sees them as opportunities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But once, when a mob of protesters marched on his house, he called for police protection, was accused of using excessive force and criticized for later calling his move to the neighborhood a mistake. He's credited with lowering Portland's crime rate. And in a case that resonates today, Moose's department was widely praised for solving the serial murders of three prostitutes in 1999. But during his term as chief, information leaked out that as a young officer, he'd made a series of racial slurs against whites who he thought were discriminating against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: You know, certainly, I'm sad that those responses occurred. I'm shamed of my behavior in those situations, clearly embarrassed that I have to relive the situations again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In a lawsuit filed in the late '90s, Moose was accused of discriminating against a gay police captain. The captain had been investigated for allegedly hiring male prostitutes. But in fact, Moose had gone against recommendations from top city officials that the captain be fired and instead suspended him. The lawsuit was dismissed.

In 1999, he became chief of the Montgomery County Police Department. Those who know him say he's carried his commitment and emotion with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: If you want Channel 9, if you want "The Washington Post," if you want CNN to conduct this investigation, let me know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Evidence by today's series of outbursts against the media and profilers on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: So I would hope that those police professionals would realize that maybe they don't live here. Maybe they don't have children that live here. And so, it's all fun to be on television. But maybe they need to come here, live here, sit outside and have coffee and then, let's see how open they'll be to ranting and raving and calling the suspect or the suspect's name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A public servant conducting a very public investigation, not afraid to let his emotions become public. Good man on the job there.

Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Questions of The Day" is this -- Has media coverage of the sniper story been responsible? We'll have the results later in this program. Go to my Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, send me your comments. I'll try to read some them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can ready daily program, CNN.com/Wolf.

Is the D.C. area sniper a trained sharp shooter or can an average person fire a rifle with that kind of accuracy? A chilling look at the weapons available in a gun store near you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Why is a famous singer criticizing Secretary of State Colin Powell? The story coming up. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The sniper mystery is unfolding in the shadow of the U.S. capital and lawmakers are being warned to be extra cautious. For some of them, the shootings are hitting very close to home, including my next guest, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland.

Senator Mikulski, thanks for joining us. In all your experience, have you ever come across anything at all remotely like this weeklong series of shootings?

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D), MARYLAND: Well, first of all this, this is a terrible thing that has happened in our capital region, both in Montgomery and Prince George's, District of Columbia and Virginia. But we are grateful for support that we are receiving from around the nation. We've gotten the commitment of President Bush for federal resources, the authority of the attorney general. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol and Fire Arms have been there in a swift and a very effective way. So, we're grateful for the support that we're getting and particularly all of the technical assistance from law enforcement.

BLITZER: You must be frustrated, Senator, though that the killer or killers still remain at large. Any progress in this -- in nabbing these people?

MIKULSKI: Well, this killer is careful and deliberate and skillful, but so is our law enforcement. We know that in order to catch this killer, law enforcement has to be persistent and patient. I believe that we are -- that law enforcement is pursuing all leads. They're working as hard as they can. If there was a 36-hour day, they were doing it. And now, with the help of the FBI and the ballistic specialist of the Alcohol and Fire Arms, we believe that we will have the kind of extra muscle even necessary to get the job done quicker.

BLITZER: As you know, your friend and colleague, the governor of Maryland, Parris Glendening, was criticized for accusing -- for saying this killer is a coward. Supposedly, that could cause some damage in encouraging this killer to go forward and kill more. I guess that kind of language should not be used by public officials. Is that your sense?

MIKULSKI: Well, I think what we need to do is cool heads need to prevail. And this is why I come back to the fact that we need to trust local law enforcement and then look at what we're getting from the federal government. Federal government's here providing coordination. We have a -- Special Agent Gary Voll (ph) there, who has access to every asset that the FBI can offer -- technical assistance, special scientific help, specialized equipment, if necessary. So, we should put the rhetoric aside. Let the law enforcement do their job. And again, we in Maryland are very grateful to the way that the nation has called in and expressed both support and sympathy to our families.

BLITZER: Senator Mikulski, thanks for joining us. Good luck to you. Good luck to everyone in Maryland and indeed, the entire D.C. area in trying to find this killer.

The type of weapon used by the sniper is relatively easy to obtain and the ammunition is even more readily available as CNN's Michael Okwu found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm in Kensington, Maryland, which is right in the heart of Montgomery County, where five people were shot. As a matter of fact, one of the victims of this sniper was shot just four blocks from this gun store.

BILL PRINTZE, GUN SHOP OWNER: Yes, hi, how you doing? I'm Bill Printze, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here. How are you doing today?

OKWU (voice-over): He showed me a range of .223 caliber bullets.

And the .223, that refers to the diameter, the size of the actual bullet?

PRINTZE: That's the bullet itself, yes.

OKWU: The kind of high velocity bullet authorities believe are being used by the sniper. This box contains 20 rounds, selling price, $6.95.

PRITNTZE: These are made right here for varmint hunting, for shooting ground hogs, for shooting prairie dogs, shooting coyotes where they get -- and something would move in a hurry but they needed to get it to get the bullet to them before they move.

OKWU: This gun shop owner believes police may have a hard time tracking down the gun used. The .223 has been adapted to fit into many different cartridges and hundreds of guns can fire them.

PRINTZE: There are three different rifles here using three of those five cartridges.

OKWU: Bolt action rifles, the at least expensive, $260.

And does it have to be a specially expert to be doing what this fellow is doing?

PRINTZE: For somebody to shoot the way this person is doing, he has to be an expert, has to be proficient in the weapon he's using and he has had to have had a lot of training.

OKWU: Like the police, he believes the sniper is using a rifle with a high intensity scope like this one, easy to target his victims.

PRINTZE: Because it's optically just like somebody wearing glasses or using a magnifying glass when looking...

OKWU: But Printze believes it takes an expert to use one.

PRINTZE: You've got to be exactly right in the centerline of the scope to be able to get there. And your iris of your eye is only this big and that's what you're looking through. It's like taking a piece of cardboard and sticking a wooden match through it and you're trying to move it like that, trying to see something.

OKWU: How do you feel about the possibility that this person might have bought weapons in your store?

PRINTZE: I certainly hope that we're not in any way, shape or form part of it. I dearly hope we aren't. You know I would very bad about it if we were.

OKWU: Purchasing a rifle like this one could take you three days. You don't have to be an expert for that.

Michael Okwu, CNN, Kensington, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Harry Belafonte sounds off. A lot of people think he went too far in his comments about Colin Powell. We'll play them for you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Singer Harry Belafonte is sounding a few disquieting notes about the Secretary of State Colin Powell in a San Diego radio interview. The entertainer accused the nation's first black secretary of state of selling out by serving President Bush.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HARRY BELAFONTE, SINGER: There's an old saying in the days of slavery. There were those slaves who lived on the plantation and there were those slaves who lived in the house. If you got the privilege of living in the house, if you served to the master -- Colin Powell has been permitted to come into the house of the master.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: A State Department spokesman says Secretary Powell was amused by Belafonte's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: He smiled, but he also said that both the IRS and his accountant thought he was better off a field hand. When he was out in the field, he was doing a little better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Belafonte also criticized President Bush for not attending a recent U.N. conference on racism. And he accused the attorney general, John Ashcroft, of abusing civil liberties. The senior State Department official says Belafonte should stick to singing and leave politics to others. Belafonte has not responded to our request for an interview.

Kathleen Koch is standing by. She's got some new information on that series of deadly killings in the Washington, D.C. area.

KOCH: Yes, Wolf, what police have told us is they have gone to a home on Summit Avenue in Kensington, Maryland, where an occupant of the home, reportedly a family member, according to police, called because someone in the home was mentally disturbed, had some mental problems and could police please come and assist. And at that point, they took at least one person into custody. Neighbors say that was around 4:45. Police got the call around 3:57. We don't know if it's related to the case of the sniper shootings, but we will be getting a report on it, hopefully, soon from the chief -- back to you.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch with the latest. We'll be coming back to you, of course. And meanwhile, time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." Has the news media coverage of the sniper story been responsible? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've just received word that officials in New York City are stepping up security. Let's find out what this is all about from CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She's joining me now live --Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, New York City is tightening up security even more at bridges, tunnels and other sensitive locations. A law enforcement source tells CNN the higher security comes in response to threats made by a man believed to be Osama bin Laden's number two guy. In an audiotape, al Qaeda commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri threatens new attacks against the United States, its economy and its allies. There's no specific target that is named and the law enforcement source says the greater police presence is an answer to al-Zawahiri's general threat.

New York City is already on high alert. Orange compared to yellow for the rest of the country. The source says there's no indication that that color will be upgraded. Again, no specific threat, just a response to the general threat that city officials are taking seriously -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick, we'll stay on top of this story. Thanks for that information.

And we also have some breaking news from California, where the Associated Press I reporting that a jury has just sentenced Carry Stainer to death. He's the handyman convicted of killing three female tourists in Yosemite National Park in 1999. Stainer is already serving a life sentence for the murder and beheading of a nature guide.

Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier, we asked this question - has the news media coverage of the sniper story been responsible. Thirty-nine percent of you say yes, 61 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not -- repeat not a scientific poll.

And that's all the time we have today. Please join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern and also please join me for my new program, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ" every weekday at noon Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching.

I'm Wolf Blitzer at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

"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





Against Colin Powell; New York City Turns Up Security>


Aired October 9, 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, CNN HOST: Searching for a killer, and now a clue in the sniper shootings, a message to police scrawled on a Tarot card but the police chief isn't happy.

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: There's not been anything authorized for release by me.

BLITZER: A sniper's tools, weapons and technology are out there for almost anyone who wants them. We'll visit a gun shop. Your child's school just might be the safest place in times of danger. The president's case against Iraq, a showdown in the Senate.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: He's got to do better than the shoddy piecing together of flimsy evidence that contradicts the very briefings we have received by various agencies.

BLITZER: A new mystery about Osama bin Laden's right hand man and why is Harry Belafonte not singing the praises of Colin Powell?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, October 9, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer at the CNN Center in Atlanta. A tip sends police scrambling in the search for a sniper in the Washington, D.C. area as clues found at the scene of one shooting spark hope and controversy. We begin with CNN's Kathleen Koch. She's at the county headquarters of the police department in Rockville, Maryland -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, first of all, let's say that there is truly a sense of relief here in Montgomery County, in the entire Washington, D.C. region because up until this point there have been no new sniper shootings. However, there is a very deep sense of unease because of some disturbing new evidence that's come out in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice over): A taunting calling card found at the site of Monday's shooting police say may or may not have been left by the killer. A tarot or fortune-telling card like this one that law enforcement sources say shows the figure of death. A message on the card reads: "Dear policeman, I am God." The Montgomery County, Maryland police chief was livid the information had leaked, first reported by a local TV station. MOOSE: I am convinced that we are broaching interference and the interference is unacceptable.

KOCH: Moose says police have now tightened up procedures to prevent future leaks.

MOOSE: This is an unwanted adjustment and it does slow us down. It does alter it but we will proceed. We will exercise due diligence but yes, it has caused a change.

KOCH: Law enforcement sources say evidence found at the Bowie, Maryland middle school, including the card, has been taken to an FBI lab for routine testing, looking for possible DNA, fingerprints, the card's origin, and analysis of the message. Ballistics tests have determined the casing found at the same site is a .223 round, the same type of ammunition used in other shootings.

No word on whether fingerprints were found or whether markings on the casing reveal what gun it was fired from. Dozens of officers, aided by dogs and helicopters combed through a wooded area in Prince George's County, Maryland after a resident reported seeing a man enter carrying a dark bag. Nothing turned up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (on camera): Credible tips in this case now number some 1,600 and the reward money is pouring in, Wolf, from around the country. Now it tops $240,000. And, one final sad note, the first victim of the sniper shootings, 55-year-old James Martin was laid to rest today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch reporting to us live from Montgomery County, Maryland. That's just outside the nation's capitol. And meanwhile, Montgomery County Police are asking those who may have information about the sniper to call their hotlines. These are the numbers. You see them on the screen, 1-800-755-9424 or 240-777-2600. They can contribute to the reward fund for Montgomery County by calling 240-777-8970.

Five of the six sniper killings have occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland's largest. Now helping to manage the crisis that sorely tested the resources and the nerves of the entire Washington area is the County Executive Doug Duncan. He's been to four funerals in the last four days.

Mr. Duncan thanks for joining us. I know this is extremely difficult, not only for you but for all of us who happen to live in Montgomery County, right now the entire Washington, D.C. area. Without getting into specifics because I know you can't, can you say there has been some progress in finding this killer or killers?

DOUG DUNCAN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Oh, clearly there's been progress made. When we started last week we didn't have a lot of information, the nature of the shootings, the sniper-like techniques from a distance didn't give us a lot of eyewitnesses, didn't give us a lot of information. So, when we went to the public and said if you were near the scene, if you were near the place at the time of the shootings, think back, jog your memory, call us up. So now we've got, less than a week later we've got over 1,600 credible leads. So just the fact we have a lot information that we can track down now means we've made progress.

BLITZER: The whole release of this fortune-telling card and what was written on it has been widely reported. Has that been a major setback in the investigation, the fact that that was leaked to the news media?

DUNCAN: Well, it was a setback. It's very disappointing to me that this happened. We've made corrections internally to try to prevent something like that from happening again and we've talked to the media about being very careful about what they are telling the public.

We are releasing information as best we can if we feel the information is going to help the public help us find who's doing this. If not, we want to keep that information private to let the investigators go about their business and this was a setback, but we still got an awful lot of leads. We're still moving forward and we're more determined and resolved than we've ever been after the setbacks.

BLITZER: This is clearly one of the most frightening weeks in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Tell our viewers who may not get the sense of what's going on what's really going on in Montgomery County right now, especially as far as young people are concerned.

DUNCAN: I mean just picture a county of about 900,000 people, a mixture of farmland, one-third of our county is open space farmland with, you know, a lot of jobs here, a lot of residences here, and you have a crime rate where you have normally 15 to 20 murders per year in your county.

And then all of a sudden we're hit with a 16-hour period here where we get five murders, one right after the other. So, in a 16- hour period we had roughly 25 percent of the murders we get over a year. So, a shockwave went through the community after that and then things started to settle out a little bit, settle down, some people out and about over the weekend, high school football games, community events, and then Monday the second shockwave came when the young student, young boy in Prince George's County was shot. We have anxiety levels here, fear levels here that I think are higher than they were after September 11th and after the anthrax attacks.

BLITZER: Do you think those of us in the news media who have been putting on the air these profilers, former law enforcement profilers are doing a disservice to the investigation?

DUNCAN: Well I'll just say I think the media has been extremely helpful to us in this investigation. They have relayed information to the public that we've asked them to. They have helped us with the tips. They've helped us with the reward fund. They've done an awful lot of things to help us, particularly I think in terms of offering reassurances to the public, letting us talk to the public, reassure the public, try to keep the public as calm as they can be.

But when you sort of shift from that into we're going to break a story, we're going to leak some evidence that was found and give that to the public when it hasn't been authorized for release, I think that does cause some concern, and as I said earlier that was a setback for us.

BLITZER: The Montgomery County Executive on the scene working very hard for all of us. Doug Duncan thanks for that information, appreciate your work, appreciate your joining us today.

The latest sniper shooting just outside a Maryland junior high is renewing questions about overall school safety; more on that now from CNN Education Correspondent Kathy Slobogin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The schoolyard images most people cherish have been pushed aside in recent years, replaced by fears of school shootings, the threat of terrorism and now the danger of a sniper attack. But school officials say the reality is that tragedy has made schools safer than ever.

FRED ELLIS, FAIRFAX COUNTY DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY: Absolutely, there's no question about it. Schools have spent a great deal of time thinking about preparing for training, for responding to critical incidents that they didn't do before.

SLOBOGIN: School Safety Chief Fred Ellis says in Fairfax County, Virginia there's more money and more hardware for security. The county is now testing 18 different door technologies, beefing up radio communication, and training school personnel year round, 165 crisis simulations last year alone.

ELLIS: We basically walk them through a real bad day. It can be anything from being able to practice fire drills, response to injured students, to violent intruders in the building, bomb threats.

SLOBOGIN: But just as important a new hardware are efforts to prevent blowups by helping troubled students.

BILL MODZELESKI, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: We also have to develop what people call the software heart ware. These are mentoring programs, after school programs, programs which really link students up to adults, responsible adults.

SLOBOGIN: While large school districts, like Fairfax, have well developed crisis plans, there's evidence that may not be true everywhere. A recent national survey of school-based police officers found that 79 percent feel their schools are not prepared for a terrorist attack, 55 percent felt their school crisis plans were inadequate, and 52 percent reported those plans have never been tested. But officials say to remember that school shootings and terrorist attacks, while frightening, are rare events.

SLOBOGIN (on camera): Experts say the real danger to students if the threat of everyday violence, bullying, gangs, weapons brought to school, and over the last few years the number of those incidents, according to the Education Department, has consistently declined. Kathy Slobogin CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Another confrontation in Kuwait one day after a marine was killed there. Now the Pentagon says al Qaeda was behind the first attack. And, there's another breaking development to the story. We'll report that in just a few moments. Plus, terror suspected in the heartland, an Islamic charity director indicted. The government says he's been working with bin Laden for years; and, Harry Belafonte with harsh words for Colin Powell; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): The European Union is making big expansion plans. The EU Executive Commission is recommending membership invitations for ten countries. Eight are East European nations including Hungary and Poland. The two others are Malta and Cyprus.

Colombia has arrested more than a dozen suspects wanted on U.S. drug charges. They include a former Colombian Senator. Officials say the suspects were members of a cocaine trafficking ring with ties to right wing paramilitary groups.

People who say they were the victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests met with U.N. representatives in Geneva. They say the church is in violation of U.N. rules on children's rights because it failed to take action against pedophile priests. There was no immediate response from the Vatican.

Some former German soldiers have filed a class action suit against several U.S. makers of radar equipment. They say design flaws allow the equipment to emit dangerous radiation causing hundreds of them to develop cancer.

We're not exactly sure what this new sculpture is supposed to be but whatever it is it's very, big. Some say this 500-foot creation at a London art gallery is the world's biggest sculpture but not everyone is impressed. One British newspaper said the artwork is unforgettable but stupid, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Kuwaiti officials say they're questioning hundreds of people about the attacks on U.S. Marines in Kuwait, and as we mentioned CNN has just learned the head of that country's Grande Mosque is among them. Our producer on the scene, Hugh Williams, is joining us now on the phone. He's in Kuwait and he has late-breaking developments. Hugh, tell us all about it.

HUGH WILLIAMS, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): Wolf, officials sources in Kuwait are telling CNN that the Imam of the Grande Mosque of Kuwait is currently under investigation for possibly having direct links with the two men who carried out the attacks on U.S. Marines Tuesday on Failaka Island in Kuwait.

The Imam, Yasser al-Failaka (ph) is currently being questioned by authorities here for allegedly providing assistance to the two Kuwaiti civilians who died after being shot by U.S. Marines who returned fire during a scheduled training exercise on Tuesday.

Apparently, the Imam who grew up on the island and shares the same name, is being investigated for allegedly facilitating access to a group of civilians who are linked to this shooting incident in which one marine was killed and one was injured.

Now if, in fact, the Imam is found to have helped these attackers, it will draw a lot of political attention and is sure to ignite debate amongst Kuwaiti parliament members as to how they are handling the issue of fundamentalist groups here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Hugh Williams, a potentially very significant development. Thanks for that breaking news. For more on the second straight day of danger for U.S. troops in Kuwait, let's turn to our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. She's joining us now live -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well indeed, Wolf, earlier today U.S. troops had their second encounter with hostility in Kuwait, the second encounter in two days. U.S. troops were driving a military vehicle just outside of Kuwait City when they were approached by a civilian vehicle.

That vehicle pulled in front of them, overtook them, and one of the unknown civilians inside that vehicle then drew a weapon and pointed it at the U.S. troops driving in their armored vehicle. The U.S. troops then returned fire, striking the vehicle with one single bullet. The vehicle carrying the civilians then went out of control off the road, the U.S. troops returning to their camp uninjured.

But, yesterday's incident indeed has now taken on increased seriousness here in Washington. U.S. officials say they now believe that there were al Qaeda connections to yesterday's incident in which one marine was killed and one marine injured. They believe the two assailants who were killed did have ties to the al Qaeda, that they had been to Afghanistan, trained in al Qaeda camps, and possibly had relatives now being detained by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay.

Officials stress here, however, they can not make a firm connection that al Qaeda leaders ordered the attack against the U.S. Marines yesterday. They know that there was a connection. They don't know, however, if perhaps this was the first of several independent operations in Kuwait once a very strong U.S. ally -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Barbara, is there any connection as far and your sources can tell between the timing of these latest dangerous encounters for U.S. Marines in Kuwait and the release of some purported al Qaeda recordings?

STARR: That is exactly the question that U.S. officials are trying to look at; of course, there have been the number of releases from al Qaeda leaders in recent days. U.S. officials are beginning to wonder but they don't know if there is some tie, these latest two incidents having a very coincidental timing.

BLITZER: Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara thanks very much. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are analyzing those audiotapes. Our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena is live in Washington. She has that part of the story -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, U.S. officials tell CNN that they do believe that the voice heard on an audiotape recently obtained by a news organization is, as claimed, that of senior al Qaeda operative Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

Now, Zawahiri is one of the most wanted men in the world. He's considered to be the number two in the al Qaeda hierarchy and one of the organization's primary strategists. Those officials say that experts who are familiar with Zawahiri's voice believe that the tape is authentic but evaluation continues so they can be 100 percent sure.

There were several dated references on the tape leading officials to believe that it was made somewhere around July. On it, Zawahiri threatens fresh attacks against the United States and its economy and claims that Osama bin Laden, as well as the head of the Taliban Mullah Omar are still alive. Zawahiri's whereabouts, as well as Osama bin Laden's, are still unknown and it is unclear where this tape was made, Wolf back to you.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena with the latest thanks very much. And the head of an Illinois-based Islamic charity was indicted today on charges he funneled donations to al Qaeda and other violent groups. Our Chicago Bureau Chief Jeff Flock is standing by. He's all over this story as well -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Wolf, you may remember some of those Muslim charities that had their assets frozen, their files seized the earlier part of this year. Well today, the government says Benevolence International Foundation, one based here outside Chicago, today they say they can prove the leader of that organization has been funding terrorism for the last decade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice over): The government says these are not the pictures of the leader of a charitable organization. According to the government, they are pictures of Inam Arnot (ph) who ran the Benevolence International Foundation headquartered here in suburban Chicago, which instead of doing charity, the attorney general now says, funded violence and terrorism worldwide.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Inam Arnot is charged with using a purportedly charitable organization to deceive Muslim-American charitable givers who are obliged by the principles of their religion to donate to legitimate charity.

FLOCK: The pictures of the now 40-year-old Syrian-born Arnot were seized from a Benevolence International office in Bosnia. The government says that office also yielded evidence that the charity bought mortars and rockets, notes on the founding of the al Qaeda terrorist network, this Arab newspaper article with a picture of Arnot and Osama bin Laden, and evidence that Arnot repeatedly hid the funding of terrorism once telling a Benevolence Fund employee that financial support for a mujahaddin fighter couldn't go on the charity's books.

ASHCROFT: And that the employee should create a new list of orphans as a means of justifying the expenditures.

FLOCK: A review of Benevolence International Fund financial records show expenditures of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bosnia, Pakistan, and Chechnya. Fund expenditures totaled more than $2.7 million in the last fiscal year, $1.7 million in the year before that.

ASHCROFT: The Department of Justice under the leadership of the president will use every means and leave no stone unturned in finding those who will knowingly fund violence and terrorist groups. We will sort through the evidence and separate legitimate donors from those who break the law.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: But, Wolf, here is the evidence. CNN has obtained a copy of this organization's 990 tax filing for the past year. In it they have to list all the top donors. Now the copy that we got unfortunately, perhaps you can see, has all of the top donors whited out, but we can see the amounts that they donated, Wolf, and it's interesting to see some donors donating as much as $100,000, $79,000, $48,000.

If the government is going to pursue individuals looking for people that had the notion that perhaps they knew where they were donating, that money was going to a bad place, those would be the first people they would presumably look at, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks Jeff Flock with the latest in Chicago. And, will a first strike on Iraq provoke the very thing the White House wants to prevent? The tough question is being asked on Capitol Hill following a letter from the CIA. The Iraq debate also gets emotional. See how when we return. Plus, a female serial killer gets her wish; and, how one man's deep pockets may help end the sniper killings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate are debating whether to give President Bush the authority to use force against Iraq, and the issue is stirring emotions. We check in now with CNN Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Tell us all about it, Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we've known for some time that the president's resolution on Iraq is going to pass in both the Senate and the House at the end of the day, but there are increasing numbers of Democrats that are stepping up and talking out against this resolution.

Democratic vote counters in the House say there may be as many as 100 Democrats that vote against this. That's almost half the caucus over there, and here in the Senate, there's at least a dozen Democrats that look like they will vote no, possibly as many as 20.

Many of the arguments being made by the Democrats simply is that they don't believe the president has presented the evidence to show that Saddam Hussein presents a clear and present danger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FEINGOLD: If this is premised on some case that has supposedly been made with regard to a subsequent coalition between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government, I think the president has got to do better. He's got to do better than the shoddy piecing together of flimsy evidence that contradicts the very briefings we have received by various agencies, Mr. President. I'm not hearing the same things at the briefings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: But most of the voices on the floor of both the House and the Senate that have been raised, have been raised in support of the president's resolution, including this very emotional appeal from Duke Cunningham, a Republican and a Vietnam Veteran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DUKE CUNNINGHAM (R), CALIFORNIA: I know the horrors brought on the men and women that we will ask to go to war, but I also know the heartache and the pain of the families that are left behind, and I would say to my colleagues, do we want to subject them to the horrors of war in our own country? That's why I have this resolve. I think it's highly probable that that would happen if we don't act and I ask my colleagues don't let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: And, Wolf, we expect the final votes in both the House and the Senate by tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill, Jon thanks very much. The D.C. area sniper defies all profiles but is that a key clue to this person's identity? Also, Robert Blake makes a plea for bail. Find out whether the judge plans to set him free. And, Colin Powell accused of being a house slave by Harry Belafonte, reaction from the State Department still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, a profile of a serial killer. Is the sniper in the D.C. area breaking all the molds? The sniper who's killed six people in the Washington, D.C. area over the past week doesn't seem to fit into a classic pattern of behavior. That may make it tougher to track the shooter down. Joining me now from our Washington bureau is James Starrs. He's a professor of law and forensic science at George Washington University. He's been involved in scientific investigations of notorious killers, including the Boston Strangler.

Professor, thanks very much for joining us. But give us your take on this very, very worrying case in the Washington, D.C. area. What do you see as the profile of this suspect?

PROF. JAMES STARRS, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, we start obviously with the fact that it's a tremendous emotional impact both, as you've already reported, at the political level, as well as at the law enforcement level, with respect to this particular case. And I'm not a great believer in the soft sciences. The soft sciences being behavioral sciences, being those involved that are profiling individuals. I would prefer to rely in the first instance on the hard science, as a result of the physical evidence, the tangible, physical evidence that we have. And as a result of the tarot card today and the casing, the rifle casing, bullet casing, we certainly have a lot more evidence than we had before.

BLITZER: So...

STARRS: And let's track that first.

BLITZER: Yes, but on that specific point, Professor, based on the hard, physical evidence that seems to be there right now what is your -- what direction are you leaning towards?

STARRS: Well, it's clear that we're talking about somebody who has a distinct familiarity and expertise in the use of a long gun, in the use of a rifle. And in addition, we're talking about somebody who, on one hand, seems to be very cunning because any geographical profiler is going to be thrown off by the fact that he -- the killings are not all in Montgomery County or Prince George's. But now, we've got one down in Fredericksburg. So the geographical profiling indicates the person might have conscientiously selected Fredericksburg to throw off such profiling.

On the other hand, to leave a tarot card at the scene, the way the Son of Sam did in the New York cases and the Zodiac Killer did in California, these are not the kind of things that show a cunning and careful killer. This is the kind of thing that could be a dead giveaway for that particular person.

BLITZER: Are there other cases that seem to fit the description of the sniper in this horrendous case in Washington?

STARRS: I can't think of any case of this magnitude in the history of law enforcement in this country over the past 50 years or thereabouts. You can go back to people like the Mad Bomber in New York City in the '50s and '60s to avoid apprehension for 16 years. The Mad Bomber being a person who was setting explosives in various places. And he wasn't apprehended for 16 years but ultimately was.

And the same thing is true of the Green River Murderer out in California and then up in the state of Washington. It took DNA to bring him to bear. However, we don't have DNA in this case. We're relying exclusively on very minute articles such as the fragments from the bullets, the cartridge case. Hopefully the profile left when he was lying in wait to shoot the 13-year-old, possibly fiber that might have been transferred to the scene, possibly shoe prints that are there. All of this can give a better sighting on the individual.

BLITZER: Let's hope it was. Professor James Starrs from George Washington University. Thanks for your insight, appreciate it very much.

STARRS: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Thank you. And the reward for information leading to the capture of the sniper in the Washington area is growing. Today, a Montana developer added $50,000 to the total and he's launching a nationwide effort to raise the reward fund to at least $1 million.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got the news like all of us that the 13-year-old boy had been senselessly shot. I felt that the shooter really raised the anti. He had not shot a child before, so I felt someone needed to raise the anti back on that person who pulled that trigger. And so, I contacted the Montgomery County executives in Maryland and they had a $50,000 reward. And I didn't think that that was really enough money to get somebody to come forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Yesterday, the reward fund was approaching a quarter of a million dollars.

The sniper investigation is drawing on the resources of local, state and federal agencies. But Montgomery County police chief, Charles Moose, is the man in charge. He brings a lot of experience to the task and he brings a lot of passion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Someone is so mean-spirited that they shot a child. Now, all of our victims have been innocent and have been defenseless. But now, we're stepping over the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Charles Moose is taking this investigation personally, a trait which is also consistent with his past. If there is a pattern to Moose's career, it could be one of high profile successes sometimes clouded by emotion. Moose grew up in North Carolina and later moved to Portland, Oregon and rose through that city's police ranks to become chief in 1993. His former colleagues, we spoke to, portrayed Moose as a cop's cop, someone who cared deeply about solving crimes and about the officers he counted on to do it.

He upgraded Portland's community policing system and even bought a house in one of city's worst neighborhoods to lead by example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM POTTER, FORMER PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF: Some people see problems as problems. He sees them as opportunities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But once, when a mob of protesters marched on his house, he called for police protection, was accused of using excessive force and criticized for later calling his move to the neighborhood a mistake. He's credited with lowering Portland's crime rate. And in a case that resonates today, Moose's department was widely praised for solving the serial murders of three prostitutes in 1999. But during his term as chief, information leaked out that as a young officer, he'd made a series of racial slurs against whites who he thought were discriminating against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: You know, certainly, I'm sad that those responses occurred. I'm shamed of my behavior in those situations, clearly embarrassed that I have to relive the situations again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In a lawsuit filed in the late '90s, Moose was accused of discriminating against a gay police captain. The captain had been investigated for allegedly hiring male prostitutes. But in fact, Moose had gone against recommendations from top city officials that the captain be fired and instead suspended him. The lawsuit was dismissed.

In 1999, he became chief of the Montgomery County Police Department. Those who know him say he's carried his commitment and emotion with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: If you want Channel 9, if you want "The Washington Post," if you want CNN to conduct this investigation, let me know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Evidence by today's series of outbursts against the media and profilers on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOSE: So I would hope that those police professionals would realize that maybe they don't live here. Maybe they don't have children that live here. And so, it's all fun to be on television. But maybe they need to come here, live here, sit outside and have coffee and then, let's see how open they'll be to ranting and raving and calling the suspect or the suspect's name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A public servant conducting a very public investigation, not afraid to let his emotions become public. Good man on the job there.

Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Questions of The Day" is this -- Has media coverage of the sniper story been responsible? We'll have the results later in this program. Go to my Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, send me your comments. I'll try to read some them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can ready daily program, CNN.com/Wolf.

Is the D.C. area sniper a trained sharp shooter or can an average person fire a rifle with that kind of accuracy? A chilling look at the weapons available in a gun store near you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Why is a famous singer criticizing Secretary of State Colin Powell? The story coming up. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The sniper mystery is unfolding in the shadow of the U.S. capital and lawmakers are being warned to be extra cautious. For some of them, the shootings are hitting very close to home, including my next guest, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland.

Senator Mikulski, thanks for joining us. In all your experience, have you ever come across anything at all remotely like this weeklong series of shootings?

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D), MARYLAND: Well, first of all this, this is a terrible thing that has happened in our capital region, both in Montgomery and Prince George's, District of Columbia and Virginia. But we are grateful for support that we are receiving from around the nation. We've gotten the commitment of President Bush for federal resources, the authority of the attorney general. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol and Fire Arms have been there in a swift and a very effective way. So, we're grateful for the support that we're getting and particularly all of the technical assistance from law enforcement.

BLITZER: You must be frustrated, Senator, though that the killer or killers still remain at large. Any progress in this -- in nabbing these people?

MIKULSKI: Well, this killer is careful and deliberate and skillful, but so is our law enforcement. We know that in order to catch this killer, law enforcement has to be persistent and patient. I believe that we are -- that law enforcement is pursuing all leads. They're working as hard as they can. If there was a 36-hour day, they were doing it. And now, with the help of the FBI and the ballistic specialist of the Alcohol and Fire Arms, we believe that we will have the kind of extra muscle even necessary to get the job done quicker.

BLITZER: As you know, your friend and colleague, the governor of Maryland, Parris Glendening, was criticized for accusing -- for saying this killer is a coward. Supposedly, that could cause some damage in encouraging this killer to go forward and kill more. I guess that kind of language should not be used by public officials. Is that your sense?

MIKULSKI: Well, I think what we need to do is cool heads need to prevail. And this is why I come back to the fact that we need to trust local law enforcement and then look at what we're getting from the federal government. Federal government's here providing coordination. We have a -- Special Agent Gary Voll (ph) there, who has access to every asset that the FBI can offer -- technical assistance, special scientific help, specialized equipment, if necessary. So, we should put the rhetoric aside. Let the law enforcement do their job. And again, we in Maryland are very grateful to the way that the nation has called in and expressed both support and sympathy to our families.

BLITZER: Senator Mikulski, thanks for joining us. Good luck to you. Good luck to everyone in Maryland and indeed, the entire D.C. area in trying to find this killer.

The type of weapon used by the sniper is relatively easy to obtain and the ammunition is even more readily available as CNN's Michael Okwu found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm in Kensington, Maryland, which is right in the heart of Montgomery County, where five people were shot. As a matter of fact, one of the victims of this sniper was shot just four blocks from this gun store.

BILL PRINTZE, GUN SHOP OWNER: Yes, hi, how you doing? I'm Bill Printze, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here. How are you doing today?

OKWU (voice-over): He showed me a range of .223 caliber bullets.

And the .223, that refers to the diameter, the size of the actual bullet?

PRINTZE: That's the bullet itself, yes.

OKWU: The kind of high velocity bullet authorities believe are being used by the sniper. This box contains 20 rounds, selling price, $6.95.

PRITNTZE: These are made right here for varmint hunting, for shooting ground hogs, for shooting prairie dogs, shooting coyotes where they get -- and something would move in a hurry but they needed to get it to get the bullet to them before they move.

OKWU: This gun shop owner believes police may have a hard time tracking down the gun used. The .223 has been adapted to fit into many different cartridges and hundreds of guns can fire them.

PRINTZE: There are three different rifles here using three of those five cartridges.

OKWU: Bolt action rifles, the at least expensive, $260.

And does it have to be a specially expert to be doing what this fellow is doing?

PRINTZE: For somebody to shoot the way this person is doing, he has to be an expert, has to be proficient in the weapon he's using and he has had to have had a lot of training.

OKWU: Like the police, he believes the sniper is using a rifle with a high intensity scope like this one, easy to target his victims.

PRINTZE: Because it's optically just like somebody wearing glasses or using a magnifying glass when looking...

OKWU: But Printze believes it takes an expert to use one.

PRINTZE: You've got to be exactly right in the centerline of the scope to be able to get there. And your iris of your eye is only this big and that's what you're looking through. It's like taking a piece of cardboard and sticking a wooden match through it and you're trying to move it like that, trying to see something.

OKWU: How do you feel about the possibility that this person might have bought weapons in your store?

PRINTZE: I certainly hope that we're not in any way, shape or form part of it. I dearly hope we aren't. You know I would very bad about it if we were.

OKWU: Purchasing a rifle like this one could take you three days. You don't have to be an expert for that.

Michael Okwu, CNN, Kensington, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Harry Belafonte sounds off. A lot of people think he went too far in his comments about Colin Powell. We'll play them for you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Singer Harry Belafonte is sounding a few disquieting notes about the Secretary of State Colin Powell in a San Diego radio interview. The entertainer accused the nation's first black secretary of state of selling out by serving President Bush.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HARRY BELAFONTE, SINGER: There's an old saying in the days of slavery. There were those slaves who lived on the plantation and there were those slaves who lived in the house. If you got the privilege of living in the house, if you served to the master -- Colin Powell has been permitted to come into the house of the master.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: A State Department spokesman says Secretary Powell was amused by Belafonte's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: He smiled, but he also said that both the IRS and his accountant thought he was better off a field hand. When he was out in the field, he was doing a little better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Belafonte also criticized President Bush for not attending a recent U.N. conference on racism. And he accused the attorney general, John Ashcroft, of abusing civil liberties. The senior State Department official says Belafonte should stick to singing and leave politics to others. Belafonte has not responded to our request for an interview.

Kathleen Koch is standing by. She's got some new information on that series of deadly killings in the Washington, D.C. area.

KOCH: Yes, Wolf, what police have told us is they have gone to a home on Summit Avenue in Kensington, Maryland, where an occupant of the home, reportedly a family member, according to police, called because someone in the home was mentally disturbed, had some mental problems and could police please come and assist. And at that point, they took at least one person into custody. Neighbors say that was around 4:45. Police got the call around 3:57. We don't know if it's related to the case of the sniper shootings, but we will be getting a report on it, hopefully, soon from the chief -- back to you.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch with the latest. We'll be coming back to you, of course. And meanwhile, time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." Has the news media coverage of the sniper story been responsible? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've just received word that officials in New York City are stepping up security. Let's find out what this is all about from CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She's joining me now live --Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, New York City is tightening up security even more at bridges, tunnels and other sensitive locations. A law enforcement source tells CNN the higher security comes in response to threats made by a man believed to be Osama bin Laden's number two guy. In an audiotape, al Qaeda commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri threatens new attacks against the United States, its economy and its allies. There's no specific target that is named and the law enforcement source says the greater police presence is an answer to al-Zawahiri's general threat.

New York City is already on high alert. Orange compared to yellow for the rest of the country. The source says there's no indication that that color will be upgraded. Again, no specific threat, just a response to the general threat that city officials are taking seriously -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick, we'll stay on top of this story. Thanks for that information.

And we also have some breaking news from California, where the Associated Press I reporting that a jury has just sentenced Carry Stainer to death. He's the handyman convicted of killing three female tourists in Yosemite National Park in 1999. Stainer is already serving a life sentence for the murder and beheading of a nature guide.

Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier, we asked this question - has the news media coverage of the sniper story been responsible. Thirty-nine percent of you say yes, 61 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not -- repeat not a scientific poll.

And that's all the time we have today. Please join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern and also please join me for my new program, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ" every weekday at noon Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching.

I'm Wolf Blitzer at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.

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Against Colin Powell; New York City Turns Up Security>