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The Spectacle Blog
There is now a nationwide manhunt in France for a shooter on a moped after three students and an adult were shot and killed outside a Jewish school today in Toulouse. Apparently, the adult was the father of two of the students killed.
The person responsible for these killings is also believed to be responsible for the murders of several French military personnel. On March 11th, an off-duty airborne sergeant was killed in Toulouse as he waited to meet a man about selling his motorcycle. Four days later, three paratroopers were shot outside an ATM in Montauban (about 35 miles north of Toulouse) resulting in two deaths. All the killingsappear to have been committed while the shooter was either on or operating a moped.
These killings are eerily reminiscient of the DC/Beltway Sniper attacks nearly a decade ago which resulted in the deaths of ten people over the course of three weeks in the fall of 2002. Of course, that was the work of two gunmen (John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo) who were motivated in large part by jihad. Muhammad was executed in 2009 while Malvo was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
It appears that French authorities are looking for one gunman. I suspect the gunmen has a police or military background. It is worth remembering that Muhammad, a convert to Islam, was in the Army and served overseas during the Gulf War attaining expert marksman status. However, the key difference here is that Muhammad and Malvo chose their victims randomly. So far the targets have been Jewish civilians and members of the French military of Arabic origin. Could it be that the gunman is Muslim (whether by origin or conversion) and is targeting soldiers with Arabic backgrounds because he believes they have betrayed Islam? Or do we have another Breivik on our hands? Whatever the case, French authorities had better find this gunman fast because chances are he isn’t done.
View all comments (15) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/19/manhunt-in-france-for-moped-sh
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Eric Dondero | 3.19.12 @ 11:50AM
Aaron, be careful here. I've been perusing the French media (I'm a fluent French speaker). They are reporting only one of the four dead soldiers was confirmed to be "Mahgreb." The American and British media seems to be playing up this fact, so that it appears that this is not an Anti-Semitic attack. Could be a coincidence that one Arab-origin soldier was killed.
Also of note, French Socialist candidate for President Francoise Hollande, is firmly calling the attacks "Anti-Semitic."
I think it's too early. But watch the media drop this like a hot potato (as they did the investigations into Muslim Husain Al-Hussaini Jon Doe II of the OKC attacks), once they learn that the perp is a Muslim. Doesn't fit their template.
Aaron Goldstein| 3.19.12 @ 12:07PM
I appreciate your comments. At this point, I am merely asking questions.
But I do agree with you. Even if the gunmen's victims aren't all Jews when someone shoots children outside a Jewish school, it is anti-Semitism.
Johnny Reb| 3.19.12 @ 5:27PM
Aaron, Eric is right to advise you to be careful, which is his polite way of saying you are frivolous while "reporting" a story that is too serious to be taken with such a cavalier attitude toward facts. How can you "suspect" the perp has a military background? And why should anyone care what you suspect? You either know what you are talking about and report it cold, or you sit down and keep quiet. Why don't you call the Toulouse cops and find out what they know? Moreover, while there certainly is strong prima facie evidence of possible anti-Semitism, namely the targets, what do you know about it? Did you speak to anyone in Toulouse? Is there much anti-Semitism there, or for that matter in France, and has it expressed itself through violence lately? Why don't you ask, since you are "asking questions"? Asking questions questions means asking questions, not sticking your thumb in your mouth and spouting whatever questions come to mind -- a mind clearly bereft of any knowledge whatsoever of the case at hand. Maybe it's some child-hating sadist pedophobe and he'll hit a Catholic school next.
Bill| 3.19.12 @ 12:12PM
The gunman is an Arab Muslim! You bet!
Zombie Reagan| 3.19.12 @ 12:40PM
That makes Bill the Klansman's day.
albert constantine jr.| 3.19.12 @ 12:48PM
“It is worth remembering that Muhammad, a convert to Islam, was in the Army and served overseas during the Gulf War attaining expert marksman status.”
Regarding the late Mr. Williams (or Muhammad, as he is likely called these days in hell), there is a bit of a pet peeve that bears mentioning when discussing proficiency in shooting a rifle developed while in military service.
I don’t recall the Army’s qualification course, ratings or level of training from the six months or so I spent on their bases. As far as the Marine Corps is concerned, though, a marksman is the lowest level of qualification, followed by sharpshooter, and then expert with either a rifle or a pistol. Referring to someone as a “marksman”, at least with respect to Marine training, is either describing someone minimally proficient, or damning with faint praise (this is not to suggest, though, that even a basically skilled Marine with a working rifle is not a lethal entity).
Drek| 3.19.12 @ 1:05PM
I was going to suggest that the French should be on the lookout for a run amok Franciscan or Dominican.
But it's more likely a member of Opus Dei, who is disgruntled that the new proposed "Constitution" of Europe will not reflect Europe's Christian heritage.
Any suggestion that the shooters are followers of the religion of peace is rampant religious bigotry!
Cpm| 3.19.12 @ 1:31PM
All frenchmen on mopeds should be arrested or shot on principle.
Drek| 3.19.12 @ 1:41PM
They should go into whatever remaining monasteries exist in France, and round up the usual suspects.
MyGirlFriday| 3.19.12 @ 4:36PM
Mr. Constantine:
The linked Fox news report states the shooter got off his bike and began shooting at everyone and everything. If he is a marksman or sharp shooter, why would he have the need to get off his scooter especially if he was shooting randomly. Unless of course he had particular targets in mind. The Rabbi lost his life along with his two small children. The principle of the school also lost his child and their is another child in hospital in serious condition.
I agree with Mr. Goldstein, this killer had no doubt in his mind about where he was and what he intended to do. He was not at a Jewish School to kill Catholics, Muslims, or any other religious group. He was there to kill those of Jewish faith. This vile attack was by an anti-Semite.
albert constantine jr.| 3.19.12 @ 5:09PM
My comment was regarding the use of correct terminology, and was directed at the reference to John Muhammad's riflemanship (and/or the firearm skills of anyone trained in the US armed forces).
It was not intended to reflect at all on the reporting of what occurred in this instance, which seems to be a developing story with new details continuing to be released. Initial reports certainly seem to support the notion that the shooter was targeting of members of the Jewish faith in this latest shooting, and I've yet to see anything that contradicts that.
Frog in Uniform| 3.19.12 @ 5:49PM
The suspect ambushed first a 30 year old muslim paratrooper in Toulouse one week ago, then 3 days ago in Montauban he shot 2 muslim paratroopers and a black paratrooper from Guadeloupe F.W.I. He was waiting for them by an ATM that was close to the 17th RGP gate. That ATM is kept busy by the hundreds of soldiers who get in and out of the compound, so the victims were probably unknown to him but they were targeted because of their obvious ethnic origin. The suspects uses a moped because in our Southwest the streets are easily jammed and a moped or a motorbike are the best getaway vehicles. He probably has a big van or a camper parked somewhere that he uses as a trojan horse for the bike. That would allow him to travel undetected.
I don't know about that army background, the suspect is using a .45 caliber pistol and we never used that caliber in the army or in the Gendarmerie, but it is the favorite one of the corsican and Marseilles underworld due the high volume of automatic Colt pistols that were airdropped to the Resistance during WW II and never returned to the sender...
The uspect is obviously a nuts and/or an antisemite, he could have targeted criminals of muslim or gipsy origin and easily have passed for some Robin Hood in the population, he chose instead to kill innocent and decent citizens, the one we can least afford to lose in that powderkeg that my country is steadily becoming. I sincerely hope he'll try to resist arrest by the Gendarmes and get shot because his motives are irrelevant to me and our President Mitterrand abolished the death penalty in 1981 and I don't see why we should keep alive such a monster forever in our jail system.
Frog in Uniform| 3.19.12 @ 5:56PM
Sorry for the spelling mistakes but I'm really mad at that idiot and I personnally know many paratroopers from the 17th and the 13th. Those 2 regiments had too many casualties in Afghanistan, but it seems obvious the enemy is insides the gates too.
Drek| 3.19.12 @ 11:14PM
It's appalling.
And the answer of the government, telling soldiers who should be proud of their uniform, to refrain from wearing their uniform off base, is even more appalling.
Frog in Uniform| 3.20.12 @ 6:00PM
The moped is not a moped at all, it's a powerful Yamaha T-Max 500cc, stolen just before the first murder and repainted twice since... The very best have been assigned to that case but it's like the proverbial needle in the haystack and most specialists agree the jerk is gonna be even cockier and strike before the end of the week.