Posted on 07/09/2004 1:14:14 PM PDT by BJungNan
Police fear five empty suitcases left at Penn Station, New York FBI headquarters and other security hot spots in early April were a test by terrorists bent on a Madrid-type attack on commuter rails, The Post has learned.
A confidential Metropolitan Transit Authority police bulletin, titled "Possible Surveillance Testing Tactics," reveals K-9 cops are on edge over a "suspicious packages pattern" they encountered between the last week of March and the first week of April.
"During the past week and a half, the K-9 Unit has responded to approximately five calls for unattended/suspicious packages which they cleared," the confidential bulletin stated.
"However, uniquely, all cases involved empty suitcases.
"These cases appear to be unusual because in most cases of an unattended bag/package there is something in the container, whether personal belongings, clothes or other items."
At Penn Station, a beat-up suitcase was found in the main waiting room at 9:40 a.m. on April 1, sources said.
(Excerpt) Read more at gogov.com ...
Not sure if NYPOST is on the FR do not post list. Excerpt posted.
Is this a current story. This same scenario played out several months ago and it was a big story on FNS for a weekend and then went away.
Is this a current story. = Is this a current story?
...or not. What was the average # of lost and found items @ Penn station prior to 9/11?
You suppose these are the some of the 20 suitcase nukes (minus the nukes) that FNC was stupidly reporting were in the country this AM.
In the story, they say the suitcases were left in April.
The whole thing could have been some art school undergrad's senior project.
All the bags were identical and empty as I read the story. Not much chance this is coincidence. Could have been a college prank as someone suggested but that does not seem likely. If it was and the police responded to it by getting their defenses up, then it did some good.
KERRY PASSES UP TERROR BRIEFING: 'I JUST HAVEN'T HAD TIME'
KING: News of the day, Tom Ridge warned today about al Qaeda plans of a large-scale attack on the United States. Didn't increase the -- you see any politics in this? What's your reaction?
KERRY: Well, I haven't been briefed yet, Larry. They have offered to brief me. I just haven't had time.
Boy are they going to be disappointed when they find their cell-phone trigger devices won't work in the subway.
Empty luggage? Probably almost nil.
That Viking Cat Molly that was on the donation ad, looks just like MY Cat, who is named STINKY BUTT. No, I didn't name her.
The cell phone doesn't need to be called, it uses the alarm clock feature.
Agree.
No, this is not current. Drill down to the source link at the NY Post... it is dated early May.
Park employees phoned local police and then about an hour later four police cars arrived. Apparently some of the police had trouble finding the park, they said due to poor dispatch information.
One officer simply walked up to the suitcase moved it to level ground and popped it open. It was empty.
The confident manner in which the officer picked up the suitcase, carried it, dropped it back on the ground then opened it was revealing.
The officer said he could tell just by looking at the outside of the suitcase that there was nothing in it.
How reassuring it was to observe that local police have added X-Ray goggles to their arsenal of protective gear. /sarcasm
Art project would have been all at once. This was spread out over about a week. More likely a test of security response time.
Darwin Award nominee ... " I missed it by that much, chief."
What do you mean in the subway. Mine won't work if a bird flys over. It always amazes (disgusts) me that I can drive under the river in Shanghai or under the Bay in Hong Kong and never loose my cell signal but here in the U.S. the signal drops at the slightest interference.
Art of Terrorism School, no doubt. Hate to see what his Master's thesis is going to be.
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