Posted on 09/17/2002 8:08:13 AM PDT by browardchad
Royal Palm Beach · Police issued a bulletin Monday morning after receiving a report that six men were overheard discussing plans to travel to the Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport and "blowing things up."
No government agency reached Monday could confirm the veracity of the report. No arrests or incidents at the airport in Broward County had been reported late Monday.
(snip)
The resident said the men were talking at a shopping center at Southern Boulevard and Royal Palm Beach Boulevard about 10 a.m. and transferring black bags from one vehicle to another.
"They were speaking in Arabic about blowing things up, possibly at the airport," the bulletin states.
(snip)
Complete story here
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Three men detained (9/13) on terrorist suspicions still under investigation
Suspected Terrorist (Florida resident on FBI watchlist) Arrested in (Miami) Florida (9/14)
Bomb joke backfires, grounds plane (NYC to Fort Lauderdale) (9/14)
Plane Diverted on Runway (Atlanta to Miami) (9/13)
Is South Florida:
(a) a threat to national security? (or) (b) the new Islamic terrorist Comedy Central?
BOLO Issued For Six Men
POSTED: 8:00 a.m. EDT September 17, 2002
UPDATED: 9:58 a.m. EDT September 17, 2002
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- There is yet another alert out for possible terrorist activity in South Florida.
On Monday police issued a "BOLO," or be on the lookout alert, after a Middle Eastern man reported to police he overheard six men talking, in Arabic, about blowing things up. He also says he heard them discussing Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and saw the men transferring bags between the cargo beds of two vehicles.
Police and the FBI interviewed the Royal Palm Beach resident who made the report. They said he is credible.
That led to a statewide alert for the group of men who were seen driving a late model green GMC crew cab truck and a purple Ford F-150 pickup. Both vehicles have tan bed covers.
I love the way they put "Arabic" in quotes, as though they hate having to include it in the details, or they think the guy filing the report may be profiling.
The one who filed the report is of Middle Eastern descent, and heard the men speaking Arabic. Maybe he's qualified to label these guys as Arabs.
Imad Mahgoub, president of the Assalam Center in Boca Raton, said similar reports can be expected in uneasy circumstances."We all want to be secure," he said. "I'm a citizen here, just like everybody else. But I think we should be careful not to cross the line and overdo it."
Interesting comment. Concerned citizen or the beginning of a flurry of distracting, false reports?
If they are starting to file a bunch of bogus reports, we may be forced to go to the WWII Japanese experience before this is over. Our resources are good, but they are not unlimited.
Imad Mahgoub, president of the Assalam Center in Boca Raton, said similar reports can be expected in uneasy circumstances.
"We all want to be secure," he said. "I'm a citizen here, just like everybody else. But I think we should be careful not to cross the line and overdo it."
Overdue what, Mr. Mahgoub, terrorist threats or reporting of terrorist threats?
No, he's a local Muslim leader.
We aren't getting any increase in child abductions (nor are we hearing about all of the child abductions, we've heard about none of the non-custodial parent abductions that generally lead the list). We are getting more daily national reports about those though.
That is a possibility.
OTOH, as we get closer to war in Iraq and the FBI continues to make arrests and pressure is put on their leadership overseas, it could be that sleepers are being activated before they are lost...
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