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US sniper 'linked to terror cult'

By James Langton in New York, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 14.10.03

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Evidence has emerged linking Washington sniper John Allen Muhammad with an Islamic terror group.

Muhammad has been connected to Al Fuqra, a cult devoted to spiritual purification through violence.

The group has been linked to British shoe bomber Richard Reid and the murderers of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan last year.

Muhammad today stands trial for murder after bringing terror to America's suburbs along with a 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Malvo.

Until now many believed that the killing spree, which left 10 dead, was the work of a loner. But investigators suspect the 42-year-old former soldier was an Islamic terrorist and believe his insanity plea is a cover story to disguise his support for fundamentalists.

It seems clear that Muhammad saw his actions as linked to earlier terrorist outrages in America. He bought his Chevrolet Caprice car used in the attacks on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks.