On Wednesday, November 4, the FBI announced that 44-year-old James Charles Kopp is being sought as a material witness in the murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian in Amherst, New York last month. Kopp, a resident of St. Albans, Vermont, with earlier ties to the Binghamton, New York area, has not been named as a suspect, but is believed to have information of value to the investigation. A material witness warrant has been issued for Kopp, reportedly based on sightings of a black Chevrolet Cavalier that was seen in the town of Amherst before the shooting. No information has been provided about exactly when and where the vehicle was seen, or on how many occasions.

The Washington Post is reporting that evidence has been found indicating thatKopp crossed the US-Canadian border at times coinciding with the Canadian shootings. No details have been provided.

Earlier in the week reports surfaced that investigators were looking for a man from Vermont, with ties to the anti-choice movement, who had been seen jogging in the area of Dr. Slepian's home the morning of the shooting. Authorities would not confirm or deny that Kopp is that man.

Investigators do not know where Kopp is currently. The warrant issued today grants law enforcement officials the authority to detain Kopp for questioning.

The Associated Press is reporting that Kopp was arrested in Pensacola, Florida in 1986 for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic, and for resisting arrest. AP reports that Kopp was also arrested in 1991 at a clinic blockade on Long Island. That incident involved Kopp and an unnamed woman locking themselves together with a steel "doughnut-shaped" device.

In James Risen and Judy Thomas's book Wrath of Angels, which covers the radical anti-choice movement, there is a reference to a James Kopp having spent time in jail in Atlanta during the large-scale Operation Rescue siege of that city's clinics in the late 1980s. The book speaks of "James Kopp, who was nicknamed Atomic Dog in jail in Atlanta, a nickname later mentioned prominently in the anonymously written Army of God manual." Please note that it has not yet been confirmed that the James Charles Kopp being sought by the FBI is the same individual.

There are also reports - still not positively confirmed - that James Kopp was arrested during two clinic blockades in Vermont in 1990. 95 people arrested for criminal trespass during those blockades refused to reveal their identities, in an apparent attempt to slow down the judicial system and possibly deter future arrests. According to Chittenden County Prosecutor William Sorrell, in a 1990 article, "These people are just trying to shut down our system. They want us to cry uncle, to say it's too much of a hassle to arrest them, so we won't arrest them any more. If they can't do things legislatively or judicially, they do it by putting sand in the gears." All 95 were held for 11 weeks, until finally agreeing to identify themselves to authorities. They never admitted guilt, but admitted to the facts in the case, and were found guilty and sentenced to time served. The judge who presided at the trial, Matthew Katz, is among those listed on the Nuremberg Files "hit list."

Update: The Hamilton Spectator is reporting that Kopp has been identified as the man responsible for delivering threatening messages to the newspaper. Over the past year, the newspaper has received several packages with various anti-abortion threats, including a "wanted" poster for Dr. Slepian. Several of these packages were hand-delivered. The sender of the packages is also believed to be the man who phoned in a threat against another Buffalo-area doctor.

Employees of the newspaper examined the photo of Kopp released on November 4 by the FBI. They confirmed that he was the man who had delivered the packages, and said that he may not have had a beard when seen at the newspaper.

In Buffalo, employees at the clinic where Dr. Slepian worked did not recognize Kopp from the photograph. However, the Spectator reports that a co-owner of a neighboring service station thought Kopp's face was familiar, although he could not recall where he might have seen Kopp.

Anyone with information about James Charles Kopp or the sniper shootings is strongly urged to contact local law enforcement officials, or call federal law enforcement at 1-800-281-1184; or in Canada call 877-687-3377.

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