Sniper terrorizes Fil-Ams in Washington

STAR Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The capital of the world’s only superpower is in a stranglehold of terror and the terrorist is a lone sniper with a high-powered rifle.

As of the latest attack on Oct. 14, the sniper has killed nine people and wounded two others, sowing terror that has taken firm root in the hearts of the 11 million people in metropolitan Washington, DC, including nearly 100,000 Filipinos who live and work here.

Activity in the United States capital has virtually ground to a halt as a result of the sniper attacks, with restaurants and shopping malls reporting a severe drop in trade. Tourists are staying away and businesses are hurting.

The sniper has been terrorizing Washington DC since Oct. 2, shooting random targets using a high-powered rifle. The victims were cut down by a single caliber .22 bullet fired from a distance as they went about their everyday tasks.

Even as the sniper evaded a massive dragnet operation earlier this week, authorities advised people to stay home as much as possible.

The public was also advised to walk briskly in a zigzag pattern to and from their destinations, to crouch when fueling their cars at gas stations and to avoid wooded areas — the same precautions one would be advised to take in a city under siege of war.

Not since the Florida anthrax attacks has Washington been gripped by so much fear, with people crouching as they gas up their cars, hiding behind posts while waiting for public transport and panicking and calling the police at the sound of backfiring car engines or breaking glass.

Many schools remained under lockdown Monday, meaning outdoor recess and physical education classes were canceled, and students were kept indoors all day.

Paranoia, Frustration

The mood of the moment was best summed up by Bing Cardenas Branigin, a contributing editor of the local Manila Mail, in an e-mail to The STAR’s Washington bureau.

"This is really crazy. My daughter, Anne, who is in senior high, is getting upset with the postponement of their activities, including a homecoming parade and dance, football, etc.," said the Filipina, who lives in Reston, Virginia.

Philippine Embassy deputy chief of mission Ariel Abadilla said that as a precautionary measure, the staff in the Washington mission have been briefed by embassy security personnel to take different routes to work, to be alert at all times, to be careful when pumping gas and to avoid open spaces.

"I park as close as possible to buildings I need to go to and stand behind a post when I gas up. Better safe than sorry," said Abadilla, who returns to Manila in January.

"Be careful out there" is a mantra almost everyone in this fear-stricken metropolis utter to loved ones leaving for work.

Because of the attacks at gas stations, people are now reluctant to go to the self-service stations, preferring the more expensive, full-service ones. Some seek the help of young volunteers acting as "guardian angels" to pump gas for them.

The sniper killings have pushed the threat of war with Iraq, the nose-diving US economy and the November congressional polls into the background.

US President George W. Bush said he was "sickened... to think that there is a cold-blooded killer at home taking innocent life" and has pledged to lend all the resources of the federal government to help stop the sniper.

The sniper has killed six men and three women and wounded a woman and a 13-year-old schoolboy. He has only missed once.

Four of the victims were struck down at gas stations. The others were sitting on park benches, mowing their lawns, crossing parking lots or loading packages into their cars when they were shot.

The sniper is an equal opportunity sharp-shooter who kills his victims without regard to their race, gender, age or color, the local police said.

The sniper’s latest victim was identified as Linda Franklin, 47, who assessed terrorist threats for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She was the ninth person killed by the sniper.

Franklin and her husband were loading packages into their convertible in the parking lot outside a Home Depot store at the Seven Corners Shopping Center when she was shot in the head by the sniper.

Manhunt, bounty, clues

Police helicopters hover over the metropolitan area almost constantly as patrol cars maintain vigilance at schools and major crossroads. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the US Secret Service, the US Marshals Service and the US Parks Police have joined local police forces in one of the biggest manhunts in the region.

Even the US military has offered to deploy aircraft with sensitive night vision sensors capable of detecting and pinpointing flashes of gunfire in the hunt for the Washington sniper. A $500,000 bounty has been placed on the sniper’s head.

Federal and local investigators refuse to discuss any details of the manhunt. But they have logged some consistencies: the killer favors suburban gas stations, takes down each victim with a single bullet, and, judging from the tarot card left at one of the shootings, appears to enjoy taunting police. It read: "Dear Policeman, I am God."

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said another witness gave a description of a dark-skinned, possibly Hispanic or Middle Eastern man in a white Chevrolet Astro van.

Authorities in Baltimore, meanwhile, seized a white van and found an assault rifle, sniper manual and ammunition similar to the bullets used in attacks that have killed nine people and wounded two others, WBAL-TV reported.

While it is still to early to tell how much the manhunt for the sniper will cost, Maryland officials predicted that the price tag may run into millions of dollars.