Washington sniper put to death

The sniper who shot and killed 10 people in the US in 2002 was executed at a correctional centre in Virginia in the early hours of this morning.

John Allen Muhammad, 48, was responsible for the deaths of ten people during a three week shooting spree which terrorised the Washington DC area in October 2002.

Muhammad offered no last-minute explanation for his random killings before being put to death by lethal injection.

'I did not hear him utter a word,' said prison spokesman Larry Traylor. 'Mr Muhammad was asked if he wished to make a last statement. He did not acknowledge us or make any statement whatsoever.'

He was pronounced dead at 9.11pm (2.11am Irish time), five minutes after authorities at Greensville Correctional Center began administering lethal drugs as family members of the victims looked on.

He ate chicken with red sauce and strawberry spiral cake for his final meal.

Earlier, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine turned down a plea for clemency.

Mr Kaine's decision came only a few hours after the US Supreme Court quashed a last-ditch appeal from the sniper's lawyers, who argued that he was mentally ill and should not be executed.

Muhammad's lawyer Jonathan Sheldon expressed his disappointment before the execution that the Supreme Court had quashed the appeal motion so quickly.

'We didn't have time to prepare sufficiently and the court, as three justices wrote, they did not have sufficient time to consider it. We consider it's just inappropriate to be rushing to execution,' Mr Sheldon said.

He argued that Muhammad was not properly represented at his March 2004 trial, when his legal team did not contest his request to defend himself, and has suggested the army veteran suffered from Gulf War Syndrome.

Muhammad's 26-year-old son Lindberg was among family members that visited Greensville to see him one final time.

Muhammad and Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the shootings and escaped the death penalty, killed one person in Washington, three in Virginia and six in the neighbouring state of Maryland.

The motive remains unclear although Muhammad's second ex-wife alleges he intended to shoot her and reclaim custody of their three children.

Police found several notes at the scenes of the attacks. Two said 'Call me God,' another said, 'Your children are not safe anywhere at any time' and asked for $10m to put an end to the killings.