/ 1 January 2002

Police detain man near suspected sniper shooting

Police cars and SWAT teams on Monday detained a man near the scene of the latest suspected sniper shooting in Virginia, US media reported.

CNN television said the man was taken into custody after a phone booth and white van were surrounded on a main road in Richmond, Virginia.

Police tactical teams, local police and federal agents

surrounded the van which was parked next to the booth in a petrol station.

Police on Sunday had issued an appeal to the person who left a message at a restaurant in Ashland, Virginia where a 37-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded on Saturday.

Before the shooting, the sniper killed nine people and

wounded two others since October 2.

”To the person that left us a message at the Ponderosa last night: You gave us a telephone number. We do want to talk to you. Call us at the number you provided. Thank you,” Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose said.

Richmond is 26 kilometres from Ashland. – Sapa-AP