Posted on 07/01/2004 8:46:38 AM PDT by Alouette
Claimed they asked directions to facility to find fishing spot
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: June 30, 2004 5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Five men from Islamic nations were detained after asking for directions to a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant.
The men, one from Pakistan and four from Bangladesh, reportedly were seen yesterday at a rest area along Interstate 80, on their way to the Salem Township plant, according to the Citizen's Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
State police pulled them over about four miles south of the Susquehanna Steam and Electric Power Plant.
The men, who were released last night, claimed they were asking directions to the river near the plant because they wanted to go fishing, the paper said.
Federal and state authorities said the FBI was notified.
Two of the men were detained by immigration authorities because of visa issues, the agency said, according to the Citizen's Voice.
"We did stop and detain five individuals, who were believed to be of Middle Eastern descent, because of suspicious activity," FBI special agent Jerri Williams told the Wilkes-Barre paper.
Williams said the authorities found no links to terrorism and concluded there was no cause for alarm.
Security officials at the power plant and the governing authority, the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency, both were notified about the incident.
Power plant spokesperson Joseph Scopelliti told the paper he knew of no procedural changes resulting from the incident.
"I know of nothing different," Scopelliti said. "I've seen state police vehicles up and down the highway, but that's every day. We were made aware by state police that there was a concern."
But he said security at the plant normally is high, noting employees must have ID, and unknown visitors and vehicles must be searched and X-rayed.
"We're ready 24-7," Scopelliti said, according to the Citizen's Voice. "We're not sitting back waiting for something. Everyone that comes up here must have a business reason to come up."
I don't know why these guys were released. A search of the van they were driving yielded camping equipment...but no fishing gear.
I wonder if they had fishing licenses?
Can't be true. No true believer would ask directions from an Infidel.
I'm sure, and we all should trust that just because they had no fishing gear doesn't mean that they didn't "desire" to go fishing!
I hate that phrase when applied to people who are from a particular country or area, not merely descended from such people. Besides Pakistan is not generally considered to be part of the "Middle East", and Bangladesh certainly is not. It's right next to China and Burma and very near Thailand, all of which are definitely "Far East" In truth both are on the Indian subcontinent, and were part of British India. (Bangladesh was the eastern part Pakistan for a couple of decades)
How would you feel about the phrase "Five men from Islamic nations" after a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant were lit up?
The cops did the right thing.
I din't know folks from the desert and the mountains enjoyed fishing so much, especially when they had no fishing gear.
A search of the van they were driving yielded camping equipment...but no fishing gear."
Hey, lighten up. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are well-known for their inordinate love of fresh-water fishing and their unusual technique, diving into the water and capturing fish in their teeth.
We mustn't be suspicious. Only a minority of Muslims, perhaps only 10% want to kill or enslave us--and that's only 100,000,000 give or take.

My preciousssss fissssssionn...
"Gone fission" bump.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.