2 pipe bombs could be work of an unknown suspect called 'The Bishop'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two pipe bombs mailed to companies in Chicago and Kansas City appear to be linked to a suspect who has been sending increasingly threatening letters to financial institutions since at least 2005, a corporate counterterrorism expert said Saturday.

The devices arrived a day apart. Officials have suggested in both cases that the devices were not working bombs that could have exploded.

But the bombs appear to be a sign that the suspect, who calls himself the "The Bishop," is "upping the ante," Fred Burton, vice president of counterterrorism for Stratfor, an Austin, Texas-based security and intelligence firm, wrote in a report Wednesday.

FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza declined Saturday to comment on Burton's report and said the case is an ongoing investigation involving multiple FBI field offices and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Burton said Saturday that Stratfor maintains many financial clients and some of them approached the company in 2005 after "The Bishop" began sending letters demanding that the companies manipulate the prices of specific stocks to predetermined prices, frequently $6.66. But Burton wrote that the demands were delusional because the firms either lacked investments in the stocks mentioned or the ability to manipulate the stock's price.

The packages containing the explosives carried the same return address in Streamwood, Ill., and were postmarked Jan. 26 from Rolling Meadows, Ill., Burton wrote.

The first package to reach its destination arrived Jan. 31 at American Century Investments' midtown Kansas City mail facility, a few blocks from the company's national headquarters, the FBI has said. Burton wrote that a note accompanying the package read, "Bang! You're dead."

A day later, a similar explosive was found at a business in a 65-story downtown skyscraper, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has said. Burton wrote the package initially was sent to the Janus Capital Group in Denver, but was rerouted to a sister company, Perkins, Wolf, McDonnell and Co., apparently because the return address was from the Chicago area.

Burton wrote it was "highly likely" that Janus and American Century Investments were previous targets of "The Bishop" and the letters were intended to send a message to all targets of the threatening letters.

"I think these devices were sent to back up exactly what he said he would do and in all probably the next devices will be real," he said.

Other letters from "The Bishop" have been mailed from Midwestern states, including Wisconsin and Iowa. They were produced using a computer and the envelopes were handwritten and addressed to senior managers of the targeted firms, Burton wrote.

The letters became increasingly threatening.

In one, the suspect mentioned Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and wrote: "You will help, after all it is so easy to kill somebody it is almost scary." Another letter mentions how upsetting it would be to have a child kidnapped, Burton wrote.

He wrote that the earlier letters provided limited forensic material and was hopeful that the explosives would provide more clues, such as DNA evidence, hair samples or microscopic evidence.

"There are signatures to bomb makers," he said. "How you would make a device is different than how I would make a device."

Burton said the Bishop probably is a white male and a loner with minimal social skills. His belief that he can alter stock prices suggests he suffers delusions of grandeur, Burton wrote.

Burton said the source of the moniker is unknown. He said letters from the suspect have contained Biblical references but the title also could be a chess reference.

"If The Bishop is not identified and apprehended, he likely will continue his efforts to manipulate stock prices," Burton wrote. "As his threats are ignored, his demands unmet and his grandiose plans thwarted, he probably will continue to escalate his behavior -- and eventually will send live devices to his targets."