Gotcha! Actually, there is still nothing new concerning the shooting of Paul Joyal, though it appears that DC police are pretty much convinced it was an ordinary crime. According to the Washington Post, “sources with knowledge of the investigation said this week they are increasingly convinced that the incident is the work of ordinary criminals rather than part of a wider conspiracy.”
Joyal has yet to make a statement to the public. I find this a bit strange considering the media attention and allegations that the incident was another Kremlin conspiracy and just one more example of Russia’s “dying democracy.” He has apparently given his account of the incident to the cops.
[Oleg] Kalugin [former KGB General, longtime friend, and former business partner] said this week that Joyal is in stable condition and has given a partial account of what happened to family members.
“He said he was attacked by two guys. They jumped at him from the bushes around the house, and he resisted. They shot him. In a panic, they ran away,” Kalugin said. “It appears to be an ordinary criminal act.”
A source with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry is ongoing confirmed that a witness heard two men accosting Joyal before he was shot. That account has investigators looking into the possibility that the incident was an attempted carjacking, the source said.
Given Kalugin’s credentials, I’m sure he would know a Kremlin plot if he smelled one.
