Christopher Ruddy
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002

Americans are used to Columbine massacres and now are acquainted with 9/11-style terrorism. Nothing should really shock us.

Yet from the beginning – and we at NewsMax were the first to point this out – government officials, the media and the rest of the "establishment" decided the "T" word – that is, "terrorists" – could not be used in the context of this case.

While I haven't concluded that the sniper or snipers are terrorists, I certainly think enough evidence exists to suggest that possibility.

Certainly, the terrorist possibility should have been part of the public discussion from the beginning.

I spoke today with former FBI Agent Gary Aldrich. He told me that he, and many of the law enforcement people he speaks to in the Washington area, suspect terrorism in the shootings.

Yet it has taken weeks for the "T" word to be mentioned, even dismissively, on television talk shows.

Another – unnamed – federal law enforcement officer tells me the inside scuttlebutt in the FBI and other police agencies is that comments made by Ari Fleischer may have sparked a terrorist wave.

On Oct. 1, Fleischer told the White House press corps that "one bullet" into Saddam's head – "if Iraqi people take it on themselves" – would be an easy way to avoid a war with the U.S.

On Oct. 2, the day after Fleischer made this sensational comment advocating Saddam's assassination, the sniper first struck, killing James D. Martin as he crossed a supermarket parking lot in Wheaton, Md.

Since then, the shootings around Washington have had a terrorizing effect, paralyzing economic and social life around the Beltway.

Still, the police and government officials have been loath to mention the "T" word.

Another curiosity involves the FBI. Though the shooting spree has encompassed two states and the District of Columbia, the FBI has taken a passive role.

One press report I read today stated that this was a better approach because the local police often feel "bullied" by the FBI.

Another law enforcement official has said the investigation is being led by a "committee." Apparently, Montgomery Police Chief Charles Moose is chairman of the inquiry.

Odd. Wasn't the FBI created precisely to handle and investigate interstate crimes? Isn't one of its roles, as the nation's premier law enforcement agency, to coordinate with local police and lead in cases of this type?

Perhaps bureaucratic officials are so afraid of raising the temperature of the case by making the FBI lead investigative agency that they prefer to have Chief Moose lead the inquiry.

Obviously, Chief Moose is over his head. Maureen Dowd pointed out Wednesday that Moose's criticism of the press for reporting that one of the van's tail lights was broken indicates that maybe he should not be making key decisions.

I am not sure who is making key decisions now. Obviously, someone or a group of officials is trying to limit severely what the public should know about this case.

For example, several witnesses who saw the gunman Monday night said he had olive-colored skin or looked Middle Eastern.

Government officials say they don't have enough information to release a sketch, but they won't even release a basic description of the man – which we know they have.

Was he an old man? A young man? Tall? Short? Black hair or blond? All of these facts and others could have been discerned by witnesses at a distance. But officials are mum. Why?

But some witnesses have spoken to the press.

According to ABC News, construction worker Robert Young saw two men fleeing in a white Astro van from the scene of Monday's shooting.

ABC reported: "Young described the driver as a short man of slight build who appeared to be Middle Eastern. 'I got a good look at the guy,' Young said."

The government won't give us the basic facts. The FBI won't take the lead. And folks like Phil Donahue continue to insist it's a "white guy" doing this.

Interestingly, the government won't do even the basic things necessary to solve the case, which might include:

1. Putting the FBI, or somebody with competence, clearly in charge of the investigation.

2. Offering a massive reward for the killer or killers, not the paltry $500,000 bounty now floating.

3. Setting up random roadblocks and checks all around Washington, as street-smart former New York detective Bo Dietl has been advising. Do them constantly, not just when the next shooting takes place. As Dietl says, it's hard to hide a rifle in a car or van.

Editor's note:
Revealed: The Terrorists Living Among Us