US: Senior US officials say no evidence has been found to connect a series of sniper attacks in the Washington area with international terrorist organisations.
The latest victim of a random shooting was in a critical condition in hospital after being wounded in the stomach on Saturday night at Ashland, Virginia, 85 miles south of the capital.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, said it was conceivable but unproven that the attacks were linked with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation."We're looking for every possible connection, but so far I've not seen anything that does tie it to al-Qaeda."
He was speaking after the 12th in a series of attacks, all presumed to be the work of the same sniper. Residents of the US capital and its vicinity have been terrorised since October 2nd by the random shootings that have killed nine people.
The 12th victim, a 37-year-old male who has not been named, underwent emergency surgery at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia. He had been shot once in the stomach shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Saturday as he and his wife were leaving a restaurant.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said the man was in a stable but critical condition after three hours of surgery. Police declined to confirm reports that the bullet was still lodged in the victim's stomach, making it impossible to carry out ballistic tests. It was suggested the man might have to undergo further surgery. The latest attack set off another major security operation.
President Bush's national security adviser, Ms Condoleezza Rice, confirmed Mr Powell's assessment. "There's no evidence to this point that this is the work of an international terrorist organization," she said. "We are of course keeping open that possibility."
Shortly after dawn yesterday, 40 to 50 officers, including the FBI, began an inch-by-inch search of the area around the Ashland steakhouse restaurant.
The most recent shooting linked to the sniper was the killing last Monday of FBI analyst Linda Franklin. Authorities in Maryland tested a shell casing found in a rented white truck to determine if it could be linked to the attacks. Police said it would be today at the earliest before they could announce the results of the tests.