Even the
Washington Post (10/2) expresses puzzlement: "Among the questions they
[investigators] have: "...how he [Stephen Paddock] was able to bring it [a
weapon] and many other weapons into a Vegas hotel suite undetected."
"[Las
Vegas Sheriff] Lombardo said hotel staff had been in and out of the two-room
suite, which Paddock had stayed in since Sept. 25, and spotted nothing
'nefarious,' though he had more than 10 suitcases."
I see.
Ten suitcases. More than 10. How many? Fifteen?
Paddock,
a high-stakes gambler the casinos know well, a man they know is a local
resident, suddenly shows up with 10 suitcases. Hotel staff are in and out of
his suite and no one has questions?
This
raises no red flags?
In a city
where the hotels and casinos have many layers of security, including metal
detectors, Paddock quietly slipped in with more than 10 suitcases holding
weapons and ammo?
The city
of Las Vegas has shown up in ISIS chatter as a target of interest. Wouldn't
that cause hotels and casinos to step up their already heavy security?
A year
ago, KTNV reported: "'Terrorism is very much in the forefront of every
casino owner's mind,' said retired Lt. Randy Sutton, 13 Action News Crime and
Safety Expert."
In the
same KTNV piece, hotel magnate Steve Wynn said: "Las Vegas is a target
city. We have hardened the target at the Wynn [Hotel]. This is the first time
I've ever revealed this publicly. But we went, there's a division in the Marine
Corps of special people that are specially trained to guard the embassies.
That's a whole division with separate base, separate training."
"There
are almost 40 of them at every opening of my building, plain clothes, armed, on
the look-out, changing shift and being relieved every two hours so they don't
get bored."
"We
have another group of a half a dozen seals team six guys and CIA guys who are a
counterterrorism unit that ... relate on a daily basis to Homeland Security,
the FBI, and Metro. My company has metal detectors and devices at every
entrance of the building for employees and guests that are non-visible to the
public. We have done extraordinary things to make that sure we protect our
employees and our guests at the hotel."
Surely,
other hotels in the city have installed major security, too. But again, Stephen
Paddock gets more than 10 suitcases filled with metal up to his suite without
incident.
And keeps
them there for several days.
Here is a
revealing nugget: New York Magazine, October 6: "He [Paddock] was also a
heavy drinker, known to demand high-end cognac and treat cocktail waitresses
and his own girlfriend rudely, according to a source in guest services at a
casino he frequented."
In other
words, Paddock was aggressive. Casinos knew he was tightly wound. He could go
off on people. This was a reason to hold him in suspicion. But those 10
suitcases in his room? Not a cause for concern or question.
If metal
detectors are used at the Mandalay Hotel, how did all that steel and weight
slip through security? Was this an inside job? Did Paddock have help from hotel
security?
At the
moment the first window in Paddock's suite was broken, you would assume alarms
would go off and Hotel security would rush to the suite. Why have we heard
nothing about this?
Take this
one step further. Is it possible Paddock was set up, or was part of an
operation whose ultimate objective was unknown to him? Is it possible some
group with far more clout than Paddock managed to get those suitcase into his
suite?
The
Mandalay Hotel, at this moment, is doing everything it can to minimize and
deflect blame for its "lax security." Therefore, how much Hotel video
of Paddock can we expect to see in the coming days? What cover stories will
emerge? What lies will be told? What falsehoods will be promoted to defeat lawsuits
filed against the Hotel?
Las Vegas
will certainly try to allay tourist fears. All the hotel and casino business in
the city is on the line. Billions of dollars. The people who make the lion's
share of that money will tell whatever lies they need to, in order to keep up
the appearance of "tourist safety."
Final
thought for the moment: If security devices in the Mandalay were turned off
briefly, to allow someone to bring in those suitcases full of weapons, we are
now talking about a sophisticated level of intrusion, beyond the ability of
Stephen Paddock. How would the breach go unnoticed by the Hotel's full security
detail? How would the cover-up of that breach have been rigged?
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