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Blacksburg, Virginia: The gunman who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech university paused during the bloodbath to mail a package with photos of himself brandishing weapons and a video of a hateful, rambling manifesto to NBC.
Cho Seung-Hui railed against wealth and debauchery, portrayed himself as a defender of the weak, and voiced admiration for the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in messages laced with rage showed by NBC News on Wednesday.
"You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option," Cho, who killed himself after the shooting rampage on Monday, said in the video portion of the package that NBC received on Wednesday and turned over to the FBI.
"Thanks to you I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people," Cho said, adding that, "When the time came, I did it. I had to."
The video showed the 23-year-old student speaking against several backgrounds with a menacing expression on his face, while photographs showed him brandishing the two handguns he apparently used in the shooting spree, the deadliest in modern US history.
Other photos showed Cho, clad in a dark vest in which he carried the ammunition he used to shoot his victims, in threatening poses with a hammer and a knife and with a gun pointed at his own head.
"Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off," Cho said without making clear to whom his remarks were directed.
The bizarre new twist added to an already chilling portrait of Cho from roommates and teachers who described him as a disturbed loner who was mentally ill.
NBC said the package received at its New York headquarters bore a time stamp that showed it was mailed between Cho's killing of two people in a dormitory and his attack two hours later on classrooms where he cut down 30 more people.
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