Millennium sparks concerns of violence

Kim Smith

Friday, Nov. 26, 1999 | 10:25 a.m.

Federal law enforcement officers in Las Vegas won't be toasting anyone with champagne come New Year's Eve. Instead, they'll be waiting for catastrophe.

All FBI and ATF agents will be on call during the last few days of 1999, watching to see if the new millennium sparks outbursts of violence.

Las Vegas FBI Special Agent in Charge Grant Ashley said that while federal authorities have received no information that would indicate a specific group has violent plans for Dec. 31, there always is the possibility that individuals with certain mind-sets might take action.

B.J. Zapor, resident agent in charge of the Las Vegas office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, agreed.

Unfortunately, Zapor said, one doesn't have to reach too far back to recall horrific acts that were carried out by a single person -- shootings in Seattle and Honolulu, the shooting at the Jewish community center and preschool in Los Angeles.

"With acts of violence, it's the lone individual that's the hardest to detect," Zapor said. "Where we're most vulnerable to violence is the lone individual, regardless of the event."

The FBI recently released a study called Project Megiddo that analyzes the potential for criminal activity by those who have an apocalyptic view of the millennium or give the year 2000 special significance.

The Hebrew word "Armageddon" means "hill of Megiddo" and according to the New Testament, Armageddon is where everyone will gather for the final battle against evil.

The study focused on right-wing religious groups that see things such as the Y2K computer problem and gun control as signs that the apocalypse is near. According to the study, such groups believe that the federal government is an "arm of Satan" and the millennium will spark a battle between Christian martyrs and the government.

Some of the extremist religious groups also have a racist bent and believe a racial holy war is about to begin. Buford O. Furrow Jr., the man charged in the August shooting at the Jewish day care center, reportedly told authorities "It's time for America to wake up and kill the Jews."

The study also discusses those people who believe that the United Nations "will lead a military coup against the nations of the world to form a socialist or One World Government." Believers think the Y2K computer problem will create such widespread chaos within the United States that the UN will easily be able to overrun the United States.

While many of the militias that believe in the New World Order concept probably won't react to minor disruptions of electricity and water, the study warns that there is a small percentage of militias that may see power outages as a way for the enemy to create confusion. They could then decide to follow through on a premeditated course of action, the study warns.

Project Megiddo advises law enforcement agencies to prepare for any eventuality because "in the final analysis, while making specific predictions is extremely difficult, acts of violence in commemoration of the millennium are just as likely to occur as not."

Federal law enforcement officers here have taken that advice, keeping in mind that Las Vegas, unlike most cities, will be a destination place on New Year's Eve.

"What makes Las Vegas unique is the number of people that will be here. The public safety issue will be increased tenfold," Zapor said.

Ashley said federal, state and local authorities have met repeatedly to discuss all possible scenarios and plan courses of action.

Vacation time has been canceled for all ATF and FBI agents for the end of December, and FBI agents will be located at a command post set up by Clark County between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2.

An alternative communication system has been set up as well, Ashley said.

"I'm confident this region is going to respond real well," Ashley said. "There's been tremendous planning."

FBI Special Agent Kevin Caudle and Zapor both noted that their agencies have also set up national protocols. Specially trained teams are ready to respond anywhere in the United States should something with national security implications occur.

In fact, Caudle said, a 24-hour command post will be set up at the FBI's national headquarters between Dec. 29 and Jan. 5.

"Hopefully, it will just be another day, but if that's not the case, we're ready and prepared to respond," Caudle said.

However, anyone with a criminal bent would be foolish to act on it on New Year's weekend, Ashley warned.

"If they see it as an opportunity for crime, it's going to be a very, very bad time. There's going to be law enforcement out in large numbers," Ashley said.