The hunt for Iraqi ‘sleeper cells’;men had been discovered filming bridges and tunnels,

MSNBC.COM ^ | March 6, 2003 | Lisa Meyers

[RaceBannon]

March 6 — The expulsions of two Iraqi attachés came as FBI agents fanned out to interview thousands of Iraqis in the United States. Click "Play" to watch Lisa Myers' report for "NBC Nightly News."

By Lisa Myers NBC NEWS WASHINGTON, March 6 — The FBI is conducting an intensive hunt for potential “sleeper cells” of Iraqi agents planted to strike in the event of war after two attachés at Iraq’s U.N. mission in New York were caught filming bridges and tunnels, U.S. officials told NBC News. At least 70 Iraqi nationals are under active surveillance, law enforcement officials said, and agents have spread out to interview thousands of Iraqi men in an attempt to track down hundreds who came to the United States after the 1991 Gulf War and disappeared.

[RaceBannon]

Once again, Middle Eastern men taking pictures of dams, bridges, and whatever...

[RaceBannon]

Once again, Middle Eastern man taking pictures of dams, bridges, tunnels...whatever...

[ewing]

Yep, ABC News said the plan was to cut the wires to suspension bridges..

[Dog Gone]

I think this is more serious. Kicking "diplomats" out is not done on a whim, and we followed it up by notifying foreign governments of the danger.

There's certainly much more to the story than reported here.

[Humidston]

who came to the United States after the 1991 Gulf War and disappeared.

Will more be coming after the 2003 War?

[elfman2]

" Yep, ABC News said the plan was to cut the wires to suspension bridges.. "

Man, just when you thought it was safe to sell a pair of wire cutters...

[EaglesUpForever]

Yep, and probably going back to about 1991.

[Spruce]

If they keep it up it will be open season.

[valkyrieanne]

And these Iraqis have entered the country *how?*

[expatpat]

As political asylum seekers, probably.

[Newbomb Turk]

I wonder why we don't just make those two Iraqi attachés disapear.

[GailA]

Norris Dam, near Knoxville, TN. They were only eating chocolate to celebrate the girlfriends year long fast from that sweet. And taking a few photos at 5 AM in the morning while it was still DARK.

[Cicero]

And these Iraqis have entered the country *how?*

No doubt many of them have come in in the usual careless way. But after the first Gulf War, thousands of Iraqis belonging to Saddam's Guard were brought into the country on the understanding that Saddam would kill them if they were left in Iraq. Many of them may have been sleepers. And there are persistent stories that some of them were involved with the bombing of the Murrah Building in OKC.

[arkady_renko]

No, I think that this is a whole different matter. This is a very serious charge because it does not involve the usual suspects. These are Sadam's guys, not Osama's. Don't you just wonder what GWB really knows about things like this that he can't tell the howling press? This is a war.

[July 4th]

Cables on suspension bridges are several feet in diameter - unless they're going to "cut" them with a bomb...nothing's getting cut.

[oceanview]

And where do you think the post 9/11 anthrax came from? Does anyone believe the Hatfill story? Name a country that makes anthrax, and one who has sleeper agents here in the US as per this story? I would say, if in the end Bush backs down, this may be the reason. Its just something to consider.

[CyberAnt]

I wonder if this is related to the two guys who were picked up in Tenn (? I think), because they were taking pictures of the dam there - both of them were from Egypt.

Maybe they were taking pictures FOR someone else ...??

[Uncle Miltie]

CAIR would like to remind you that Islam does not condone terrorism.