Egyptian man held in threat to city tunnels
Federal authorities are detaining at least one man of Egyptian origin who worked at a Middle Eastern market in Baltimore in connection with a threat that closed Interstate 95 and the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels after concern over a suspected terrorist plot to blow up one of the tunnels.
The shutdown caused gridlock throughout the metropolitan region as police and federal agents investigated the threat.
Federal law enforcement officials said the threat was made against an unspecified tunnel by an informant in a foreign country who said suspects were men of Egyptian origin living in the Baltimore area. The official said investigators had several names, but had no arrest warrants.
The informant's information was uncorroborated, the official said. He is being detained in a unspecified foreign county because of potential immigration violations. It was unclear whether the man was a United States citizen, the sources said.
The investigation has been ongoing for the past two or three days, but the decision to close the tunnels was made by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who apparently were concerned that the suspects may act as word of the investigation got out.
According to the source who has been briefed on the investigation, the detained man is associated with Koko market in the 6000 block of Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown. There are unconfirmed reports on the WJZ-TV Web site that the plot involved taking a bomb-laden delivery truck from the market into a tunnel, where it would be detonated.
Authorities reopened portions of I-95 and the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels about 1:30 p.m.(snip)
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/bal-tunnel1018,0,6274503.story?coll=ny-top-headlines
I was just about to post this - you beat me by a second. This is what we're up against. So far we've been lucky at averting attacks. They are living among us and it's just a matter of time before one gets through.
Vel - see picture at post 13.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1504762/posts
I wonder if they found the bomb-laden delivery truck before they reopened the tunnel? hmmm
Couple of things to note from other media reports:
There's a considerable amount of conflicting information on this incident, which is not unusual in the early hours after a story breaks.
ABC News is reporting the following:
An informant told authorities late last week that a plot was in progress to blow up one of the tunnels under Baltimore's harbor, ABC News has learned.
According to the informant, who is in detention overseas, at least six Egyptian terrorists were going to receive bomb materials that would arrive by ship at Baltimore's harbor in a container marked "Cocoa." The informant said the terrorists would then use the material to assemble explosive devices, which would be planted in cars as part of a plot to bomb one or both of the tunnels.
ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington is reporting that several individuals are in custody and are being interviewed by the Maryland/Delaware Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Note that some of the confusion regards the term "Koko" or "cocoa". The Newsday story referenced below refered to the Koko Market in Baltimore. ABC News reports that the word "Koko" is the label on the container. On the other hand, containers shipped from overseas would be labeled with the name of the company receiving the container in most cases; so that's not necessarily a conflict.
Newsday is reporting that one individual is in custody; ABCNews is reporting several are in custody.
One paragraph of the ABC News report stands out:
The Department of Homeland Security, however, has some doubts about the source's credibility.
According to a senior law enforcement official, analysis of the threat concluded that it was not credible based on the clear motive of the detained informant, his "questionable" performance on a polygraph test, and the lack of any corroboration by individuals named and detained in the United States.
I have these questions (for a start):
1. Is this the same source who provided the material regarding the New York City transit plot?
2. If this report came in last week why were the tunnels closed TODAY?
3. Who are the other dudes in custody?
1 Egyptian arrested, 5 still out there waiting to strike, not good odds to me.