Suspicious cell phone purchases investigated

Fox 59 News ^ | 8/16/06 | Kimberly King

[Samwise]

Hartford City, IN — The Indiana Homeland Security department was notified about the cell phone purchases. Two men have been questioned in Hartford City, Indiana.

22-year-old Bilal Muhamed Mustafa and 29-year old Sultan Allah Muhammond came to the Alco discount store looking to buy a particular model Nokia Trac phone in bulk. Terrorism experts say Tracphones can't be traced and are known to be used by terrorists as detenators for bombs.

"Oh I was suspicious," said Alco Store Manager, Kenny Mazelin. " They always said after 9/11 be vigilant with cell phones sales and that we should contact somebody." That's just what store manager Kenny Mazelin did. The men drove a grey Nissan Altima rental down from Minnesota and just recently got Minnesota id's.

"We were told Minnesota cops questioned one of their brothers for the same type of business transaction regarding cell phones," said Detective Eric Hawk, Hartford City Police. Mustafa told police he buys the cell phones and puts a special chip in them that can make them work as prepaid on any cell network. He said he then sells the phones at a small profit.

The two men weren't interested in buying the minutes it takes to activate the phones only the phones themselves at Alco. They wanted as many as they could get and had cash to pay for them. "They told us they'd buy forty if we had 'em," said manager Mazelin."They came in three times, police got here in time to question them the third time."

The men evaded officers questions and didn't want their pictures taken. It's not illegal to buy cell phones in bulk. Neither men were arrested or held for further questioning. Fox 59 reached Bilal Muhamed Mustafa on a cell number he gave police. He hung up. Police say the case remains open.

[Samwise]

The television story was more detailed. There were several purchases across the eastern Indiana border. The news lady even called their cell phone. He wouldn't talk to her. I believe the TV said they were driving from Minnesota.

[stephenjohnbanker]

" "They told us they'd buy forty if we had 'em "

Nothing suspicious here........................................................................................................................................................................................ R O T F L M A O

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

ping for future.

[SE Mom]

Good grief..it's an epidemic.

Too many what-ifs...

[Post-Neolithic]

Awfull lot of ME types buying Tracfones in bulk in the last couple of months. You can figure that the ones that go unreported are more then likely 100 times this amount.

Must have something big planned.

[RichardW]

This doesn't make any sense at all to me. I found 17 of the $20 models at the local Wal-Mart and a number of the others. Ebay has a number for less. What in the name of tarnation is going on here anyway?

[JimSEA]

Likely I am just dense but what do they want with thousands of phones? If they are terrorists, I can understand maybe 100. Several for communications and lots of bombs with multiple ignition points perhaps. But thousands you have to have now?? I mean, it is not like they are scarce, only sold in one region or even less costly in one place (they are about $20 everywhere).

[the invisib1e hand]

I've always thought it's a good idea to not purchase suspicious cell phones.

[Paved Paradise]

You imply that these people make sense. They are moonbats, so who knows why they need so many. They probably have way more people than we think anyway. Either that, or Mustafa's "friends and family" plan needs to be bigger.

[garjog]

Muhamed and Muhammond -- nothing suspicious about that.

[nopardons]

This is now an epidemic. Goodness gracious................

[weegee]

"I'd like 10,000 marbles please." - Flounder (Animal House)

[weegee]

Really. I guess there would be too much tracking if a middle easterner just bought them wholesale "for my storefront".

[bitt]

This happened at the end of July, before we saw such a trend of these sales....

~~


http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1155730840298480.xml&coll=1

'Customs takes over cell phone case
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
By DAVID REID
dreid@repub.com
HOLYOKE - A 27-year-old California man detained by city police last month after he bought 300 cellular phones from an electronics store near the mall is facing a federal deportation hearing next month.

Mahmoud H. Elroumi, of Beverly Hills, was picked up July 23 by city detectives inside the COMPUSA store at Holyoke Crossing adjacent to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside after being alerted by a store clerk, police said. Elroumi could not be reached for comment.

No criminal charges were filed locally against Elroumi, but Police Chief Anthony R. Scott said detectives held the California man as a suspicious person, and contacted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, which took him into custody. "
......

[SiGeek]

But thousands you have to have now??

My SWAGs: saturate the cell towers in the vicinity of whatever "event" they are planning so no one can report what is going on...or the terrorist coordinators carry around carry around a 10-20 cards and use a different one for each call to make it harder for the NSA snoopers...or they really are going to build 1000s of IEDs to plant around the US...or they are going to strike it rich a few bucks at a time, reselling a cheap retail product out of its package, minus lawyer fees for all the legal attention they have attracted

[weegee]

If the terrorist cells are gearing up, there are several ways they could play this...

Untraceable phone communication (disposable phone to disposable phone).

A D-Day "mother of all battles" set of terrorist bombings in one day.

A long series of "lone nut" bombings.

At any rate, you can bet that such phones would become much more scarce in America after a domestic terrorist bombing campaign began. They could very well be stockpiling now for when that day (which may never) comes.

[stephenjohnbanker]

: )

[stephenjohnbanker]

Thank the Lord these terrorists are so hot damn dumb : )

[weegee]

Amazing number of illegal immigrants in these cases too.

2 men from the Republic of Georgia were stopped in Pennsylvania (with Michigan driver's licenses, $4.2k, 40 phones, an empty van, and a laptop with GPS tracking software).