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The sniper killings have sparked a massive search
US authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a man wanted for questioning in connection with the sniper attacks which have killed 10 people in the Washington DC area.
Police said they were looking for John Allen Mohammed, also known as John Allen Williams, and his stepson - both said to be armed and dangerous.
It is believed the men may have information about the sniper attacks, but Police Chief Charles Moose warned "not to assume they were involved in the shootings".
Mr Moose also issued another direct message to the sniper during a news conference:
"Let's talk directly. We have an answer for you about your option. We are waiting for you to contact us."
It is believed that the message is a reference to the snipers' demands for $10m ransom apparently left in a note at the scene of one of the shootings.
Earlier, FBI agents conducted a major search at a house in Tacoma, which is 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) from the capital.
Mr Williams is believed to have served in the army at a base near Tacoma and to have lived in the house.
Fort Lewis, to the south of the town, provides some of the most intensive sniper training in the US military, correspondents say.
Yard searched
Local television has shown FBI agents and other officers searching the yard of a house in Tacoma with metal detectors and chainsaws, combing the soil and a large tree stump in an apparent search for bullets and metal fragments.
A spokesman for Fort Lewis base, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Piek, could not confirm if Mr Mohammed had lived at the address.
Local media say it is possible that the sniper or someone involved in the case did live in the area.
Residents quoted by the French news agency AFP said a man who lived in the house was being questioned by police but they had been told that he was not thought to be a suspect in the sniper case.
"It looks like an archaeological dig there with tapes running the full length of the yard," one resident said. Since 2 October, 10 people have been killed and three others wounded in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC in apparently random attacks.
'No expense spared'
The US Government has agreed to give $600,000 to schools in the area to strengthen security.
President George Bush said local police would have "the full resources of the federal government" to help catch the killer.
"There is a ruthless person on the loose. We pray for a quick end to this period of violence and fear," he said.
Police confirmed on Wednesday that 35-year-old bus driver Conrad Johnson, who was shot while standing in the door of his bus in the Aspen Hill area of Montgomery County on Tuesday morning, was the sniper's latest victim.
In their appeal for witnesses, police have stressed that any immigrants should not hold back information for fear of police investigating their status.
Police Chief Moose, who is leading the investigation, has offered to set up a private post office box "or another secure method" for the sniper to contact police.
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