Drawing Parallels Between The Beltway Sniper Attacks And The Bangsar Acid Attacks

In the autumn of 2002, during a three week sniper attack known as the "Beltway Sniper Attacks" which ultimately claimed the lifes of 10 victims, one John Allen Muhammad and his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo randomly selected and shot people at various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia.

The seemingly random pattern of the duo's selection of victims terrorised the residents of these areas.

The victims were shot dead while doing your everyday mundane activities, like mowing the lawn, reading a book on a bench,  and pumping gas at the gas station.

There were no warning shots. The murdered victims were not given a second chance. Such was the level of marksmanship of the killer that often, all it took was one bullet.

The recent acid attacks in and around Klang Valley seems to mirror the 2002 events that transpired in Washington, USA.

Similar to the Beltway attacks, there are no obvious connections between the 10 victims of these acid attacks. Rather, victims were targeted based on the perceived opportunity by these criminals.

Both attacks in the United States and Malaysia strikes at the very core of fear: Uncertainty and the possibility of winding up dead or critically injured in a split-second.

There is currently very little information that the police have released. Apart from claiming that the criminals are of dark complexion, usually works in pairs, and drives a small cc Honda or Yamaha motorcycle with a basket at the front, the police have been tight-lipped.

The police have also set up a special task force to probe the attacks, and anybody with information or observes suspicious behaviour around their vicinity is urged to contact the police at 03-90516222 or 03-90571086.

Although the country's crime index was recently reported to be on a down trend, high profile cases such as this continues to create doubt in the efficacy of the police force.

As a personal observation, which may not be entirely fair, I have came across quite a number of traffic police escorts for VVIP cars on the highway on my travels to Kuala Lumpur for work these past few weeks. One would think that solving the acid attacks would be high on the priority list, and any additional resources that is available should be used to track down these cowardly criminals, rather than as an escort to ensure that the VVIP get to their destination on time and without suffering through traffic congestions like us mere mortals do.

We have been lucky that, thus far, there hasn't been any fatalities from the acid attacks. However, do we need the body bags to pile up just like in Washington, before a sense of urgency is shown by those in uniform?

One prominent blogger have suggested investigative methods such as tracking the sale of acids in Klang Valley, which can only mean he watches a lot of procedural crime dramas like Bones or CSI.

For me, I take my cue from Batman. You go to the where the low-lifes mingle and you break a few fingers until you get the information or the lead that you need.  Alternatively, you round up all the Mat Rempits that you find and you  hang them over the high rise buildings one by one until someone admits to the crimes.

For my families and friends, I suggest the following steps to protect yourself from such attacks:

• Always bring two things when you step out: A bottle of water, and a bottle of acid. Obviously, the bottle of water should be used immediately in the event of an attack to rinse away any liquid that has made contact with your face, eyes and exposed skin. Not so obvious is the reason for the bottle of acid which you should quickly splash at the direction of the attacker so that he may get a taste of his own medicine. Of course, knowing which bottle contains which liquid is crucial, so make sure you label them.




Do Not Do Use Similar Bottles!


• Wear extra clothing. The less skin you show, the less open you are to such attacks. Maybe our friends from the Middle East countries have got this right.

• Wear your sunnies, even when there is no sun and people are giving you weird stares. At least if the unthinkable happens, you'll still have the ability to notice the stares that others give you. The celebrities wear them even when they are indoors, so why can't you? If you pair this suggestion with the above suggestion, your safety is almost 100% guaranteed.

• Walk in the opposite direction of the traffic flow to prevent you from being blindsided by an approaching motorcycle.
• And finally, be alert. If at any moment you don't feel safe, run like the wind. Again, ignore aforementioned weird stares.

John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were apprehended on October 24, 2002. In an operation that involved both the local police force and federal agencies, it still required the tip off by an alert public citizen to arrest both Muhammad and Malvo. Both criminals were charged and sentenced for terrorism activities, although connection was not proved to any established global terrorist groups. Their actual motive continues to be speculated, but the damage caused is very real.

With each passing day that we fail to nab the criminals behind these acid attack, I worry that it might further embolden them, which might lead to an escalating level of violence in their future attacks. So, please, keep an eye out. There is definitely someone somewhere who knows or suspects something. If you do, please report them to the police immediately, no matter how unlikely you may think it may seem.