Posted on 07/19/2004 5:30:58 PM PDT by RaceBannon
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/415877|top|07-19-2004::15:07|reuters.html
Man Sought for Photographing Texas City Refineries
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Jul 19, 2:57 PM (ET)
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials said on Monday they are looking for a man seen taking pictures of two refineries in Texas City, Texas. Texas City, located on the Texas Gulf coast about 30 miles south of Houston, has three refineries including the largest U.S. plant operated by BP Plc., which is the third-largest U.S. refinery, processing 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The man, described as white with dark hair, was seen taking pictures outside the refineries, all located on the same highway, at about 5 p.m. CDT on Saturday, said Bruce Clawson, emergency management and homeland security director for Texas City.
While it is not illegal to take pictures of a refinery from a highway or street, officials would like to talk to the man to find out his reason for taking the photographs.
"This is based on the idea that al Qaeda does its homework," Clawson said. "That's not to say we don't have enough home-grown idiots already who might want to do something."
The man was seen driving a white van.
Valero Energy Corp. operates a 243,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Texas City. Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, a joint venture between Marathon Oil Corp., and Ashland Inc., operates a 76,000 bpd refinery in Texas City.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has repeatedly warned refiners that they are possible targets for would-be terrorists. U.S. refinery security officials say their security guards regularly report people observing or taking pictures of refineries.
During the Independence Day holiday, ExxonMobil Corp. tightened security at the largest U.S. refinery, the 538,000 bpd plant in Baytown, Texas, 30 miles east of Houston, because of general warnings about possible terrorist activity.
Should we expect to hear from the usual suspects that this man's rights may be violated, because he has committed no crime?
Again.
I've taken pictures of refineries (philly area) in the past 'cause they look cool. Might just have been a photographer.
Nothing to see here, move along...to Academy, they got a sale on 9mm, ought-6's, and 12 gage 02's....
Sounds vaguely familiar...
OK he was WHITE? Sure he wasn't a little swarthy?
I was taking pictures on top of a dam 2 years ago, got stopped, had them id me, call in my name and all.
It was a hoot! I told the Cop of my file I keep on this stuff!
Yep...he did nothing wrong. Maybe the HLS needs to question Google Image Search?
http://www.wetmaap.org/Texas_City_and_Virginia_Point/Background_Slides/slide_13.html
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&q=Texas+City+refinery
http://images.google.com/images?q=Texas+City&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&start=180&sa=N
Possible petro-terrorist in east Texas alert!
I know, I was just thinkin that--NOT another white van!!!
I think I know that guy!!
Paging Chief Moose.
Nor is it to say that we don't have any white boys who've seen the light (in a jail-house moslem kinda persuasion) who might want to do something. John Doe2 was a figment. Move along.
Just be careful you don't profile more than two swarthy types per day... that could lead to some real trouble.
If I got stopped, I couldn't tell them I'm a photographer because I'm not. And no matter where you go in and around the city, you're bound to capture some kind of infrastructure in the frame and thus look suspicious to somebody.
Sheesh! Guess I'll stick to filming the pooch chasing her frisbee in our backyard.
...Paging Chief Moose...
A moose once bit my sister... Wait a second I don't have a sister. A moose once bit my brother.. How did that happen, he lives in Oklahoma, must been at the zoo.;)
People who take pictures of things that many consider to be abnormal are regularly suspected of being terrorists and many of my fellow plane spotters have been arrested over the years. I myself had a national guardsman pull, and load, his M-16 on me back in Feb. 2002.
Down on the Chocolate Bayou. Where the workmen's chant is "nothing new after two, nothing more after four".
Wait, no. That's the creed of the technicians in a Nuclear power plant.
That's one big facility, the old Amoco Refinery. The only bigger one I've ever worked at was Mobil's at Yanbu Saudi Arabia.
There was another incident of a guy taking pictures of a refinery at night and the security guard got shot or something like that. At night and somewhere in the Houston area if I'm not mistaken? Do you remember?
I hope this doesn't get out of hand....damned if you do and damned if you don't
I remember the Texas City explosions very well. They shook the windows in our school in Beaumont--about 100 miles away.
Saw some film clips of the secondary explosions later that night (IIRC)...
Horrible day...
That was my first thought, too. I typed in "texas refinery," saw a whole page of photos pop up, and figured this was another Molehill Inflation exercise.
I recall a line in an article on Soviet travel (maybe PJ O'Rourke?) "Above all, never photograph a bridge. Don't even take along a photo of your favorite bridge back home"
So I got this photography book a long time ago (80's) with pix from a guy named Roy Mortenson, called "Meadowland". I'm from South Jersey, these are pix of industrial areas up North Jersey (near nyc). Anyone hear of this guy? Great photographer.
http://www.local1259iaff.org/disaster.html
http://www.local1259iaff.org/report.htm
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22texas+city+disaster%22
I was only a baby, but sometimes I still cry at what my family went through that day and the ensuing days.
I'm so sorry for you and your family.
Jordanian Man Charged With Lying About Being a U.S. Citizen to Obtain Pilot's License
The Associated Press
Published: Jul 18, 2004
BROOKFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A Jordanian man living in the United States illegally has been charged with lying about his immigration status to obtain a pilot's license.
Sami Abuhamatto, 24, was arrested Friday and was being held pending a hearing on Monday.
There are no allegations that the case is terrorism-related. The flight industry has seen increased security since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted concerns that flight schools could again become training grounds for terrorists.
Abuhamatto's six-month visitors visa expired in 1996, according to court documents. He applied for the pilot's license in May 2002, claiming he was a U.S. citizen born in Brookfield, the Chicago suburb where he lives, the documents show.
The Federal Aviation Administration approved the application less than a week later.
Authorities said they learned of the incident after Abuhamatto arranged a bogus marriage late last year in an effort to gain resident alien status.
We have seen this over and over and over.
..."The man, described as white with dark hair,"
Disinformation. I'll take bets that he is not "white".
As in all cases, the "Far-Out-Man" left's #1 suspect is:
Haliburton!
</sarcasm>
Depends on what they do to or ask him, when/if they find him.
---Ban "Assault Cameras" with more than a 10 shot memory card!!
Probably an ACLU photographer looking for a lawsuit to file.
Hell, don't they know all us white guys look alike? Just ask x-chief Mooosey. Bush/Cheney 2004
You wouldn't need pictures to set the whole thing off. Just know which roads to go down and fling a Molotov cocktail over the 8 ft fences surrounding one or more of many refineries in that area. Wouldn't take a whole lot of planning. I just happened to be in that area this weekend (toured the Battleship Texas--way cool) and the thought occured to me just how easy it would be.
Agreed...and a sort of funny story...
I was in Paris for a few days in 1996. I had a night in a small hotel not 100 yards from the Arc de Triumph. The place had no balconies, but I could climb out my window onto the structural shelf that made up the awning over the entrance. I climbed out to take pics of the Arc and the surrounding neighborhood...it was a great view. I had a pretty extensive camera kit with me. Not 5 miutes after I went out I saw a hubbub involving several cops running towards the hotel...and my phone rang. I was called downstairs and met by 4 very unimpressed looking Paris cops. They were very professional but it was probably a good thing that I thought to bring my passport and all travel docs downstairs with me. I figured out pretty quick that they were making sure I wasn't some guy casing out possible attack targets; after all, they did have a problem with bombings some years earlier. I don't blame the authorities that feel it necessary to investigate otherwise innocent activities carried out by someone with a personal interest. I blame the terrorists for making this a perceived necessity.
Yep, I remember.
And then there was the vanload of swarthy guys near the nuclear power plant recently who said they were going fishing, but they had no fishing gear in their van.
Why don't these places have web cams set up so they can get a better look at these people who are taking pictures.
RAE Systems...Symbol RAE....look into it.
It's vulnerable. I know that the refineries have beefed up security, but I seriously doubt whether they could protect against an intelligent assault. The area to defend is just too large.
You sure it wasn't William Mortensen, Ansel Adams' nemesis?
A gun sale at Academy? Cool! I'll check it out! Always ready to add to my collection :))))
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