6-17-2002
(Editor's
Note: This story first appeared in the Lightning
in the Summer of 2002. With the latest
developments in the Jose Padilla terrorist case,
we present it again as a matter of curiousity.)
-Archived
in reverse order -
EXCLUSIVE
Man Who
Fingered McVeigh
Stays Mum On
'John Doe #2'
Witness Who
Rented Ryder Truck To Oklahoma Bomber Reserves
Comment On Photo Similarities Between 'Dirty
Bomber' Padilla And FBI Drawing Of 'John Doe #2'
RG Griffing, Commentary Copyright
2002 San Antonio Lightning
The
man who testified that he rented the
"death" truck to Timothy McVeigh has
confirmed that he has seen the photo and sketch
comparisons of "John Doe" and accused
"Dirty Bomber" Jose Padilla (See
below), but tells the Lightning that he will
withhold comment for now on advice of legal
counsel.
Eldon
Elliott, was the owner of Elliott's Body Shop, a
Ryder truck outlet in Junction City, Kansas, the
day Tim McVeigh and another man rented the
vehicle that carried destruction to the Murrah
Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. He and two
employees said there was another man with
McVeigh. Those witnesses contributed to the 'John
Doe' sketch below.
Authorities
have since played down even the existence of the
man pictured in the widely distributed FBI
sketch. They have attributed it to a soldier
named Todd Bunting, pictured here. Bunting was
cleared of any involvement.
The
Lightning reached Mr and Mrs Elliot at their home
on Saturday afternoon. In an exclusive interview
they said the Lightning's article (below) was the
first time they had been made aware of the
striking similarities between the "Doe"
sketch and Padilla photo.
They
viewed the items on our website during a brief
conversation with the Lightning, but after seeing
the pictures, the Elliots referred us to an
attorney who now represents them.
Much
controversy has swarmed around "John Doe
#2."
Particulary
disturbing to some, including Terry Nichol's
defense team, was the revelation by the FBI and
Justice Department that more than 3,000 documents
had not been turned over to them before trial.
Some of those documents apparently concerned the
FBI's search for a possible " John Doe"
suspect, USA Today reported at the time.
"The identity of Mr.
McVeigh's primary co-conspirator, John Doe # 2,
was a key issue in Mr. Nichols' trial defense and
the withheld (documents) regarding the identity
of that person went to the heart of "
Nichols' request for reconsideration, his lawyers
claimed in court documents.
The court later ruled that
the missing documents would have had no effect on
the outcome of the trial.
-Developing-
* *
*
02-14-2002
Coincidence?
Uncanny Resemblance Between Mysterious Oklahoma
Bombing Suspect 'John Doe Number 2' (Left) And
Accused 'Dirty Bomber' Padilla (Right) Noted
What Do YOU Think? Write The
Lightning Editor With Your Opinion
Developing
Our Readers
Write:
Best
artist composite match I have ever seen. Is
anyone even checking on this? John Lawson
The
following comment on your look alike contest;
Kate (see email below) would do well to remember
that it was NOT "Bush & Co." at bat
when the OK bombing happened, if there is any
investigation to be done, I'd say start w/Bill
& Hillary. It was the 'gruesome twosome' that were 'in
charge', so that makes them responsible does it
not? As far as the lookalike
coincidence is concerned, well, except for maybe
the chin, if they aren't the same guy, they could
very well be related. Definately worth
investigating. Keep up the good work SAL!
Anolagay Barefoot
Explains why a U.S. citizen has been
turned over to the Pentagon and held
incommunicado, doesn't it? Bush & Co. can't
afford for this guy to make a statement.
Kate@Devtex.com
I, too, thought that picture of
Padilla looked familiar. Let's
hope that the current administration does not
ignore thisas the past administation did.Charlene
Wiedeman
That's
about as close to a perfect match as you could
find. Stan Singleton
It's gotta be...........here go the
theories again? On another note your site is
awesome. I've been reading for a while. Go
Lightning Go. Mario Esparza
Did not notice. You have hit the
nail on the head. I knew he looked familiar, you
filled in the blank. txpowers@prodigy.net
A friend just turned me on to your
website..................and you guys are good! Thanks, Phil R Fernandez
That's so close to Padilla that its
scary. Could it be that this guy just slipped
thru the cracks because we only focused on
McVeigh and Nickles? Is our FBI so self absorbed
with image that they fail to protect us from
enemies from without and within? I hope that
there is going to be some "connecting the
dots" on this guy but I'm not going to hold
my breath. He's probably going to be handled
about as great as the door at the Koresh
compound-gone forever. Brenda Hadley
I would say that the resemblance is
enough to warrant some investigation. I hope
under our current President things like this will
not be overlooked or swept under the rug. I say
dig in and find out. Richard Litton
SAL, San Antonio Lightning
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