- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A task force investigating
the Washington area sniper case has issued a federal arrest warrant for
John Allen Mohammed, also known as John Allen Williams, Montgomery County
Police Chief Charles Moose said late Wednesday.
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- In a sometimes cryptic statement after which he refused
to take questions, Moose said the warrant charged Mohammed with violating
federal firearms laws, "This charge is not related to the shootings"
currently under investigation, which have killed 10 people and wounded
three in the greater Washington area.
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- Williams aka Mohammed, "should be considered armed
and dangerous," Moose said,
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- Mohammed, 42, is approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and
180 pounds, Moose said. His photograph was posted on the Web site of the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (www.atf.treas.gov).
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- Saying the sniper had made several efforts to communicate
with authorities, Moose said, "Our inability to talk has been a concern
for us as it has been for you.
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- "You have indicated that you want us to say and
do certain things. You have asked us to say, 'We have caught the sniper
like a duck in a noose.' We understand that hearing us say this is important
to you.
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- "However, we want you to understand how difficult
it is for us to understand what you want us to do," Moose said, calling
on him to contact him by phone, e-mail or in writing to clarify his demands.
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- Reports from CNN and Fox News earlier identified the
juvenile accompanying Mohammed as his 17-year-old stepson, a Jamaican national.
Mohammed was identified in those reports as a 40-year-old Army veteran
who had been stationed at Fort Lewis, outside Tacoma, Washington.
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- Neither was considered a suspect, the reports said. The
men were connected to a 1990 Chevy Caprice bearing New Jersey license plate
number NDA 21Z, according to both networks.
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