Posted on 10/14/2004 1:56:03 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
(Newark-WABC, October 14, 2004) — He looked like any student attending college in New Jersey. But in reality, FBI officials believe he was sent here by Osama bin Laden to scout out possible targets for a terrorist attack. Eyewitness News' Kemberly Richardson reports.Sources tell Eyewitness News they are making headway with this investigation. They say as they canvas the area showing people a picture of Dhiren Barot they are getting confirmation he was here.
He was seen at tourist areas, universities, and perhaps the most unsettling place: Right in front of the Prudential building.
A senior FBI agent tells Eyewitness News a Starbucks Coffee near the Prudential building may have been a perch for an alleged al-Qaeda operative.
Witnesses confirm that Dhiren Barot was seen inside the shop directly across from the building described by authorities as a potential terror target this past summer.
The 32-year-old is being held by British officials, charged with conducting surveillance of the company's Broad Street headquarters and other buildings in our area.
The buildings have been under heightened security since August, when Pakastani police discovered Barot's reports on computers and emails.
Sources say there are references to trash containers at Prudential Plaza, and that Barot paid close attention to vehicles that were being permitted into the area, including Fedex trucks.
Federal officials believe the reconnaisance took place in the months leading up to September 11th, 2001, that Barot was taking orders directly from Osama bin Laden and was well-known to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the captured mastermind of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
The FBI says he entered the U.S. on a student visa, and was living in New Jersey. Witnesses have confirmed he was seen at several college campuses in northern New Jersey.
The FBI also tells us Barot had two notebooks containing information about chemicals and explosives and may have been planning to use radioactive material.
A spokesperson for Prudential says they were briefed on all of these details back in August, and have taken appropriate security measure.
In this busted operation there also was surveillance of the World Bank in DC.
As with the Prudential, there's a Starbucks across Pennsylvania Ave with a birds-eye view of the entire front of the WB.
He sounds like the Tourist Guy.
Now, now - no racial profiling, please!
So hass anyone come up with a reason why Prudential would be a target at all? Why single out that company, when there are so many more public venues where more damage can be done.
Perhaps I'm missisng something here, did they deny Osama's kidney transplant or what?
Pinging my Threat Matrix FRiends.
Folks, we now know of this surveillance. We are also aware that our LEOs are being watched when they respond to all these hoax bomb threats.
Gladly, we also know that the LEOs are putting in place counter-surveillance measures.
Stay Safe. Stay Armed. Stay Alert.
OPINION: Patrol car cameras are great.
They record things well and the sound is
good, too.
A little something for our jihad enemies to think about.
They want to kill Snoopy.
Yawn ... the DNC assures as Ridge's warnings about this building were political fantasy made up to deflect attention from John Kerry at his convention.
I'm sure this man is completely innocent. Free him now so he can return to Waziristan with his comrades. And give him his botebooks back.
(/sarcasm)
"...did they deny Osama's kidney transplant?"
Which reminds me...why in hell did we give Saddam hernia surgery?
target Pru because:
big building in Newark
Lots and Lots of muzzies in Newark
So when we kick him it hurts twice as much.
Check your Freepmail.
Thanks for the ping ad. Hopefully there will be some info gleaned from those notebooks.
Are you sure it's not the Governor himself?
Are you sure it's not the Governor himself?
I think Snoopy works for Met Life.
(steely)
Michael Moore says there is no terrorist threat, so I wouldn't worry if you beLIEve him.
whoops.
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