"THEY SHOULD LEAVE ME ALONE BECAUSE IT'S ENOUGH THAT THEY'VE 'MARGINALIZED' AND 'NEUTRALIZED' ME."WASHINGTON - Donald Eugene Webb, on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list longer than any fugitive in history, is wanted in connection with the murder on December 4, 1980 of the police chief in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, who was shot twice at close range after being brutally beaten about the head and face with a blunt instrument.
No one had heard from Webb for more than a quarter century until last week when he sent a message to the New York Times that law enforcement officials describe as cordial. Webb said that he wanted his pursuers to know that they have him "boxed in," that he can't misbehave because the slightest misconduct would "raise [his] profile and lead to [his] capture." Therefore, he suggested, "the Feds should pursue me with the same diligence and zeal they are employing to track down Osama bin Laden, who killed 3,000 people, as opposed to the one person I killed. Just like bin Laden, I have been, to quote President Bush, 'marginalized,' and, to quote Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, 'neutralized.' I respectfully suggest that my pursuers adopt the attitude President Bush has toward bin Laden: 'I truly am not that concerned about him.' Perhaps they could channel their anger against me toward someone else instead. You know, just like Bush went after Saddam instead of bin Laden."
An FBI agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the rules applicable to bin Laden do not apply to Webb. The agent explained: "We only say that 'marginalized' stuff about bin Laden because we haven't been able to get him."
