Terrorism Task Force Searches Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor was the scene of an exhaustive search today after Coast Guard crews spotted suspicious activity in the water.
The Coast Guard launched an investigation after a watchman spotted a suspicious diver near a Coast Guard boat overnight.
That diver was never found, but the Coast Guard has called off its search.
And they say the harbor is safe.
A number of agencies were involved including Honolulu Police and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Crews not only searched the bottom of every ship docked at Honolulu Harbor, but they also went onboard to investigate.
The investigation of a ship from Tokyo took about 20 minutes.
"We were told they're checking in case of a terrorist," said Yusaku Kokubu.
Kokubu is one of the college students on board the ship. It arrived in Honolulu last weekend.
The Coast Guard searched for hours from land, water, and the air to make sure the harbor was safe.
Mario Dalfonso is a crew member on another ship that was searched.
"They checked the dive lockers, seeing if any gear was wet," said Dalfonso.
In the end, the extensive search turned up nothing. http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=1666779
Dirty bomb scare at Texas Medical Center
03:44 PM CST on Wednesday, February 25, 2004
By Amy Tortolani / 11 News
HOUSTON -- Houston police, FBI and a Hazmat team moved into the Texas Medical Center quickly after a man claimed he had chemicals to make dirty bombs and planned to detonate them.
Houston police and FBI agents cordoned off the area around Holcombe and Shamrock around 9:30 Tuesday night. A dirty bomb is an explosive that can be laced with nuclear or biological material to make it more deadly.
The suspect smiled and shook officers hands as they took him into custody.
Police said David O'Dell Ferguson claimed he had sulphur and bomb making materials in his pick-up truck and even asked a security guard for directions to the FBI building.
The security guard detained the suspect and called in police and firefighters.
Police said that 6 ounces of mercury were found in the man's truck along with two dogs.
Because of the seriousness of the threat, the DA is expected to charge the Freeport man with making a terroristic threat. http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040225_jt_dirtybombscare.280243a5.html