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Ballistic tests on the rifle found in the car of the men authorities believe were involved in the Washington-area sniper attacks matched the weapon to the bullets in all but three of the 14 shootings

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a gun found in the suspects' car appeared to use .223-caliber bullets the fatal calling card in the attacks that began Oct. 2 with the killing of James D. Martin in a grocery store parking lot in Wheaton, Md. Police also found a scope and tripod in the car.

The rifle recovered is a ballistics match to that used in the 13 sniper shootings. Two holes were discovered in the car's trunk that allowed someone to shoot from and use a scope.

Two senior federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators hadn't ruled out other accomplices, including some who may have provided vehicles or other support.

The suspects, it seems, might have been tripped up by their own arrogance; authorities said they received a call on the task force tip line taking responsibility for the sniper attacks and for something in "Montgomery."

Evidence from a Sept. 21 liquor store heist in Montgomery, Ala., which killed one employee and wounded another, then led police to Malvo and Muhammad.

But who were these two, and why might they have unleashed terror on Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia?

Muhammad, a veteran of the Gulf War, converted to Islam, according to The Seattle Times. Malvo is a citizen of Jamaica. The Times quoted federal sources as saying the two had been known to speak sympathetically about the hijackers who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But there was no indication, authorities said, that they were linked to al-Qaida or any terrorist group.

The two were arrested without incident by members of the sniper task force at a rest stop in Frederick County, 50 miles northwest of Washington. The time was 3:19 a.m.

Three hours earlier, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose had announced that Muhammad and Malvo were being sought and issued a nationwide alert for a blue, 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with New Jersey plates. A motorist and an attendant spotted the car and called police.

The Caprice has an opening in its trunk that would permit someone to lie inside and fire the rifle while remaining hidden, two federal law enforcement sources told The Associated Press. That could explain the lack of spent shell casings in most of the shootings, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Investigators now believe that the Caprice was involved in all the shootings. Sightings of white vans and box trucks were attributed to erroneous witness accounts.

Police would not confirm a report in The (Baltimore) Sun that the Caprice was approached Oct. 8 by Baltimore officers who found Muhammad and Malvo sleeping. That was the day after a 13-year-old boy in Bowie was wounded as he arrived at school.

The two were allowed to go, sources told The Sun, because investigators were looking for a white van. In the weeks after, four more people were shot by the sniper, three fatally.