Authorities search for weapons at warehouse near Oakland airport

Sacramento Bee ^ | April 17, 2004

[Cultural Jihad]

Authorities search for weapons at warehouse near Oakland airport

The Associated Press
Last Updated 9:33 am PDT Saturday, April 17, 2004

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (AP) - Dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement agents continued to search a warehouse near Oakland International Airport Saturday, looking for items that included devices used to launch rockets from vehicles, officials said.

The raid began around 6 a.m. Friday at the sprawling complex in San Leandro. About 200 agents from a dozen different agencies participated in the operation, which was a joint investigation by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Alameda County Sheriff's Department drug task force.

The exact nature of the investigation wasn't clear because the federal search warrant used to conduct the raid was filed in U.S. District Court under seal.

But U.S. Magistrate Edward Chen, who signed the warrant earlier in the week, told The San Francisco Chronicle: "The warrant was for a bunch of devices for rockets that could be launched from military vehicles and (for) some M-16s," semiautomatic assault rifles used by the U.S. military.

Federal agents denied rumors that the search was part of a federal counterterrorism operation.

During the raid Friday, authorities barred aircraft from flying over the site for three and a half hours while they took over the warehouse complex. Officials said the restriction was a precautionary move because the airport was located such a short distance away.

[oolatec]

Any updates?

[Cultural Jihad]

Raid targets weapons, drugs

Officials tight-lipped about massive pre-dawn action in San Leandro

By Ivan Delventhal, STAFF WRITER

SAN LEANDRO -- Dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement officers raided a sprawling warehouse before dawn Friday in an apparent search for drugs, weapons and explosives, officials said.

FBI Special Agent Anthony Montero said special weapons and tactics officers descended on the building at 2040 Williams St., near Doolittle Drive, at 6:02 a.m.

As FBI SWAT teams made entry, a Coast Guard helicopter circled overhead. The airspace above the warehouse was closed to planes for several hours Friday morning; as a result, small aircraft bound for Oakland Airport North Field were redirected to alternate runways, airport officials said.

The law enforcement agencies were executing a warrant secured by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. About 200 law enforcement officers participated in the overall operation.

It took about an hour for SWAT personnel to secure the warehouse and an adjacent building. The process unfolded without incident, Montero said, and four men and a woman who were inside the building were detained.

By Friday evening, all those detained were released, said ATF spokeswoman Marti McKee.

Full article: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~1865~2090597,00.html

[lonevoice]

Federal agents denied rumors that the search was part of a federal counterterrorism operation.

Hmmm...

I wonder how long it will be before the names or pictures of the detainees are released.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Interesting.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Federal agents denied rumors that the search was part of a federal counterterrorism operation.

It doesn't sound like the feds went over there to have breakfast.

During the raid Friday, authorities barred aircraft from flying over the site for three and a half hours...

Something is going on. I can understand the authorities saying as little as they can right now.

[Cultural Jihad]

Local TV Channel 5 (CBS) report:

[Cultural Jihad]

Local TV Channel 7 (ABC) report:

Five People Detained In San Leandro Bust

Warehouse Search Continues

Apr. 16 (BCN) — A search at a large San Leandro warehouse is going slowly and will continue into Saturday, a federal law enforcement official said today.

Marti McKee of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said the major part of the inspection at the 2040 Williams St. site near the San Leandro-Oakland border follows a preliminary inspection by two explosives detection dogs that started around 3 p.m.

"It's a very big warehouse and there's a lot to examine," McKee said.

McKee said law enforcement authorities detained five people when they first secured the warehouse about 6 a.m. today, but three of those people have been released. Authorities are still questioning the other two people, a man and a woman, but no one has been arrested or charged at this point, she said.

Full article: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/041604_nw_san_leandro_bust.html

[MizSterious]

This doesn't look like the usual gang-banger bust, does it? I'd like to know who was arrested.

[Cultural Jihad]

Added to FoxNews 15 minutes ago:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117396,00.html

[MizSterious]

"not connected with counterterrorism"--or do they mean it all belonged to a bunch of Berkeley democrats?

[Henchman]

The fact that the FBI wasn't alone, means they had nothing to do with the investigation or ATF et al would not be there. The reason planes were diverted is easy. ATF was afraid the FBI would set off a rocket and take out a plane.

[Alia]

Thanks for posting -- I'd heard about this yesterday morning -- and nothing since.

[risk]

I saw the tail end of an interview with the middle aged, caucasian male owner of the warehouse. He was going on about how he didn't believe in guns because all they do is kill people. I just don't know enough about it to make a comment yet. Feel free to ping me if you learn anything.

[risk]

Harold Chapman, owner of Lottastuff.com, walks next to some military equipment at his warehouse Saturday.

"We seized a few documents. Other than that, it's an ongoing investigation," said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "We will continue to look until all investigative leads are exhausted."

Five men who were detained for questioning Friday have all been released, McKee said.

About 200 agents from a dozen different agencies took part in the raid, which began around 6 a.m. Friday and continued Saturday. On Friday, authorities barred aircraft from flying over the site for three and a half hours while they took over the 12-acre, five-building warehouse complex in San Leandro.

The search warrant for the investigation was under seal, but U.S. Magistrate Edward Chen told The San Francisco Chronicle: "The warrant was for a bunch of devices for rockets that could be launched from military vehicles and [for] some M-16s," semiautomatic assault rifles used by the U.S. military.

Federal officials confirmed Saturday that rocket launchers and other military weaponry were among the items sought by authorities.

"One reason we had so many personnel was because of the types of items we were looking for," McKee said Saturday. "Because it's military weaponry, there is significant concern."

---

You never know what you'll find!
email: stuff@lottastuff.com
phone: 510-483-7200 or toll free: 888-522-7212
fax: 510-357-4956

"Lotta"

[Free Trapper]

Reporters call civilian semiauto rifles automatic weapons and in this article M 16s are called semiautomatic.Strange.

[risk]

Intentional abuse of the language by the gun banning lobby has led to this misuse of the terminology. As Travis McGee says, soon they will be demanding that all semi-automatic rifles are on the list of "assult weapons," another abusive term for "rifle."

[risk]

From http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/8460261.htm

Harold Chapman, the owner of the building, said Saturday that he used the warehouse to store mechanical equipment that he sells through his Web site, Lottastuff.com. Chapman said he suspected that a man dating one of his female friends may have pulled a prank.

"I think he called the FBI up and said I had a bunch of ground-to-air missiles," Chapman said. "Of course, it's unfounded. I don't have any ground-to-air missiles!"

The four men and one woman detained Friday night were questioned and released, said ATF spokeswoman McKee. No other search or arrest warrants are pending in the case, she said.

[Squantos]

and (for) some M-16s," semiautomatic assault rifles used by the U.S. military.........I quit reading at that. The fact that alphabet agencies and a stooopid presstitute are involved reminds me I need to go clean the grout in the shower vs getting lied to by those fools !

But thanks for the ping anyway........:o)

[Travis McGee]

Warehouse ping.

This could be anything from Al Queda to a legit import firm who got mousetrapped by a changing ATF regulatory interpretation. I don't take anything here at face value on first look.