St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 1

I 2002 Tuesday, June 11, 2002 50 wpd serial mm "Dirty bomb" plot in U.S. is thwarted, i MM MM 1 (0 Ashcroft says Ferguson man was charged in deaths of 2 prostitutes 1 1 Man arrested May 8 at O'Hare is placed in military custody Court documents connect him to 5 other slayings 1 I 1l Padilla U.S. citizen is native of Brooklyn, N.Y. qelh cihmtC i i vhere ntciny tcrprove Cnv real' to member Spreading radiation and terror A "dirty bomb" made up of 100 pounds of conventional explosives and radioactive material would cause relatively little physical damage. The concern is the deaths from radiation exposure that would be caused by its fallout.

The area affected if such a bomb were detonated in downtown St. Louis: Travis Charges were unsealed Monday Suspect had record of shoe store holdups Maury Troy Travis didn't "have a violent bone in his body," a longtime friend says. "I just don't get it," said Khadiza Massey, Travis' friend for more than 20 years. "He's a robber; he's not a murderer." A12 Letter offers giimpse into mind of writer Some words on the envelope refer to what investigators believe is a Web site for bondage and sexual torture. A12 intlay paper By Karen Branch-Brioso Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Federal officials thwarted a radioactive-bomb plot by a U.S.

citizen trained by the al-Qaida terrorism network, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday a day after transferring the man to military custody. Brooklyn, N.Y., native Jose Padilla, 31, has been in government custody for a month. Federal law enforcement officials detained him May 8 as he arrived at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on a flight from Pakistan. Ashcroft said Padilla known since the early 1990s by his Muslim name of Abdullah Al Muhajir had met with senior Al-Qaida officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he "trained with the enemy, including studying how to wire explosive devices and researching radiological dispersion devices." "We have disrupted an unfolding terrorist plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive 'dirty Ashcroft said Monday from Moscow, where he was meeting with law enforcement officials. Ashcroft said Padilla was designated an "enemy cornbat-ant." He is being held at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, S.C., where he was moved Sunday.

A "dirty bomb" is a conventional explosive to which radioactive material is added. The resulting explosion would not have the impact of a nuclear bomb but would generate immediate panic, as well as potential long-range health risks, experts said. At a Justice Department news conference, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the plot "was in the discussion stage." Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said Padilla "had indicated some knowledge of the Washington, D.C., area" but See Terror, A10 By Bill Bryan Of the Post-Dispatch Maury Troy Travis, accused of killing two women and linked by court documents to the deaths of five more, was found dead Monday night in his cell at the St. Louis County jail in Clayton, sources said. Travis was found hanged in an apparent suicide.

r- Herb Bernsen, assistant director of the jail, confirmed that Travis died about 8:45 p.m. at St. Mary's Health Center in Richmond Heights. "We do everything we can to prevent this kind of thing," Bernsen said. Travis had been under a suicide watch in the state-of-the-art facility because of the type of crime involved.

That meant he was alone in a cell and checked by a guard every 15 minutes. There was no surveillance camera in the cell. A source said Travis somehow managed to use a piece of bed-sheet or pillowcase to hang himself from a bar. Travis' death stunned St Louis police Capt. Harry Hegger, who led the investigation into a series of slayings of African-American women.

"This is certainly a strange case," he said. "It's a weird twist. I'm really disappointed. We were looking forward to putting things together." Investigators had hoped Travis would answer the haunting question of how many other bodies might be hidden by underbrush along roadsides, yet to be discovered. Now, Hegger said, it may never be known.

"It's a shame," he said. Earlier Monday, a federal complaint was made public in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, charging Travis with two counts of kidnapping. The complaint lists six women all prostitutes who were "tortured and then strangled." It also says Travis wrote a letter to the Post-Dispatch that led to discovery of a seventh body.

See Killings, A12 CenHf I Blast area: 300 feet Fallout area: 23 of a mile Source: AP POST-DISPATCH BUI Smith KMjMh A look at the victims, when and where they were found. A12 "Dirty bomb" scenario troubles experts: They say terrorists could acquire and detonate a radiological bomb with relative ease, and a public panic would surely ensue. A10 This letter, sent to Post-Dispatch reporter Bill Smith last month, led to the discovery of a woman's body. Gunman kills two clerics at Missouri monastery A i i 1 i it i i' why Lloyd R. Jeffress, 71, of Kearney, drove to the monastery in far northwest Missouri and started shooting at 8:40 a.m.

Killed along with Schuster, 85, was Broth-er Damian He wounds two others at Benedictine abbey before taking his own life By Jeremy Kohler Of the Post-Dispatch CONCEPTION, Mo. The Rev. Philip Schuster was on duty Monday morning to greet visitors at Conception Abbey, where Benedictine miests be Armed with an AK-47 and a sawed-off rifle, police said Jeffress parked his green Chevrolet Cavalier in the basilica parking lot and walked in through the door of the monastery, turned right, walked down a hallway and shot Schuster. See Abbey, A13 Gunman seemed tonefy neighbor says-Lloyd Jeffress was often seen around the Kearney Senior Citizen Complex carrying a purple gym bag. A13 Nuns who moved from Affton were close to victims: Priests from the abbey celebrated Mass daily at the Benedictine convent in Clyde, Mo.

A13 Jeffress Suspect found dead in pew Schuster Larson Slain priest was Was abbey's semiretired groundskeeper retired priest and a popular monk, wounded two other priests and then killed himself in a pew inside the basilica where the clerics gather to pray six times a day. Police said they had no idea Larson, 64, a popular man known as "The Weather Monk" for his weather cartoons and for posting the weather forecast on the monastery's Web site. He was a groundskeeper at the abbey. lli. FORBES post-dispatch lieve in bating every guest Abbot Gregory Polan talks with Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espey 'like Jesus." and residents of Conception, on Monday after the shootings at But one of his first visitors the monastery.

opened fire. He killed the semi- IN THIS SECTION WEATHER IN SPORTS IN METRO IN BUSINESS IN EVERYDAY INSIDE Business CI DOW J-" Ex-mob boss John Gotti dies in prison Gotti (right) was sentenced to life in 1992 for racketeering and six killings. Some called him the most powerful gangster since Al Capone. A6 Today Scattered storms. High 85.

Wednesday More storms possible. Low 72. High 85. Details, B8 Classified Fl Corrections A2 Editorial B6 Everyday El Movie times E2 Obituaries B4-5 Sports Of Cardinals lose to Seattle Ichiro Suzuki had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two more runs as the Mariners won the first game of the series 10-0. Dl Readers share favorite "smooch- 'em-ups" Tonight, the American Film Institute will announce its Top 100 "Greatest Love Stories." Today, we feature St.

Louis' 10 favorites. El Arts industry emerges as stable tax source Museums, theater companies and public television stations have grown steadily nationwide, becoming stable employers. CI Campisi is charged in hydrant incident Prosecutors rejected the St. Louis County councilman's claim that he didn't know hooking up a garden hose to a fire hydrant was illegal. Bl Play-acting "patients" help doctors train St.

Louis University is one of 10 medical schools in the country involved in pilot studies for a national test using mock patients. Bl A CLOSE 9,645.40 UP 55.73 GAIN 0.6 Leaders hold little hope of peace soon Bush and Sharon blamed Palestinian leaders for the lack of progress. Sharon all but ruled out the possibility of negotiating with Arafat. A2 For Post-Dispatch news update throughout the day, look on STLtoday.com. '0918971 100" 0 Wp-W IW" Tft' tit MVt" if" JltKWt".