Saudis jump aboard Florida school bus

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Posted: May 21, 2006 | WND

[keats5]

Saudi men arrested after jumping aboard public school bus in Tampa, Fla. (courtesy WTSP-TV)

TAMPA, Fla. – Local and federal authorities are trying to determine the real reason two Saudi men jumped aboard a local school bus on Friday, alarming students as well as education officials.

Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran, 20, were immediately taken into custody when the bus arrived at Wharton High School, and they are being charged with trespassing on school property.

"Both defendants gave several versions of the reason they took a school bus to a high school," Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway told the Tampa Tribune, noting the pair seemed cagey and evasive as they answered questions. "They said they wanted to go to Wharton to look around, and then they said they wanted to go there to have some fun, and then they said they wanted to enroll in the English classes there."

"We're not sure if this was a situation of them just being new to this country, or if they were confused or what it was," he continued. "We were unsure as to exactly what the final reason was, but it did cause great concern for the students on the bus and for us. One of the guys was wearing shorts with a black trench coat."

During their time on the bus, the men were reportedly speaking in Arabic, making funny sounds and laughing.

The FBI was notified, along with the sheriff's Homeland Security Division, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Regional Domestic Security Task Force, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"It sounds like a dry run for a Beslan type of terror attack in the U.S.," said one concerned WND reader. "I don't believe these guys."

Another reader, Dan Lakemper, said: "Someone should be asking why these guys went anywhere on the bus. Why was it not stopped and evacuated immediately, and police called then and there? Was the driver an imbecile? And a trench coat in Florida in mid-May? If my kid was on that bus I would hope he would have the sense to pull the emergency door as those bastards wre getting on. Where is the emergency training in that district? Non-existent I'd say – which means the terrorists found out what they wanted to, and how."

Ahmed Bedier, director of the Central Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the St. Petersburg Times the incident sounded like a cultural mixup.

"Obviously, if they had recently arrived here and they are from Saudi Arabia, they may not be familiar with American rules and laws," Bedier said. "They might have thought it was some kind of public transportation."

Sgt. Mike Klingebiel, a spokesman for the University of South Florida Police Department, said the two have been enrolled at the English Language Institute at USF since January, having come to America six months ago on student visas. He told the Times the men are taking the language classes to help them qualify to enroll as full-time college students.

[gregwest]

If you were the bus driver in this incident, wouldn't you have evacuated the bus and called the police? Regardless of the nationality of the trespassers, wouldn't you take action in favor of protecting the children? What was the driver thinking, letting them sit on the bus and chat while taking them to the school?

Better yet, the kids should have "Flight 93'd" them!

[fishtank]

"Ahmed Bedier, director of the Central Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the St. Petersburg Times the incident sounded like a cultural mixup."

Translation: CAIR = Ibrahim Hooper's front group for terror

[Dr.Syn]

Ahmed Bedier, director of the Central Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the St. Petersburg Times the incident sounded like a cultural mixup.

"Obviously, if they had recently arrived here and they are from Saudi Arabia, they may not be familiar with American rules and laws," Bedier said. "They might have thought it was some kind of public transportation."

Just like the "cultural mixup" of flying a Boeing 767 into the World Trade Center.

[visualops]

Already posted yesterday
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1635606/posts

[TheOracleAtLilac]

Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran, 20

Why are they in the U.S. ?

Why should they remain in the U.S. ?

[backhoe]

This just in from the blogosphere:

"I saw a post on Michelle Malkin, 2 Saudis (age 20 and 23) BOARDED A SCHOOL BUS in Florida, my blood ran cold...... and then they lied about their reason! check it out, there's pictures of these bastards... Do we want a Beslan (russian grade school) massacre here? "

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005236.htm

SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT...

By Michelle Malkin   ·   May 21, 2006 10:29 AM

...with the story of the two lying Saudi men who boarded a school bus in Florida. And it is not racist to say so.

Just joy riders?

***scroll for updates... BAIL FOR SAUDIS REVOKED***

We have plenty of reason to be concerned about young Saudi men on student visas purportedly studying English.

We have plenty of reason to be concerned about possible terrorism operatives in south Florida.

And we have plenty of reason to be concerned about terror attacks on schoolchildren and buses.

Almanajam and Alsidran lied to Florida sheriff's officials. What else have they lied about? The State Department, JTTF, and DHS better be taking a close look at their student visa applications.

More details:

Asking questions: Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, American Future, more at Memeorandum.

Over in Arizona, another known hotspot for al Qaeda trainees, the doors are being thrown open to Saudi students at President Bush's behest:

In case you missed it, go read Nina Shea's piece in the WaPo on Saudi hate textbooks in the kingdom's public schools.

Cori Dauber weighs in.

TrackBack <4>

[kjo]

Yeah, how did they get here, who let them in? Have we learned nothing?

[maine-iac7]

"It sounds like a dry run for a Beslan type of terror attack in the U.S.,"

That's my take -

Whether they were Arab, Finns or Eskimos, they did not belong on the bus and should have been asked to leave immediately.

If they refused, then was the time to let the students off - by all exits - and notify authorities...

[SandRat]

Just saw a news video clip on PoxNews of these two beign arrigned in court. One of the two was hanging his head down low as if asshamed and embarassed to be on camera the other was smiling with a silly smile/smirk as if this was all a joke.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Florida is a bastion of liberalism. But then again, so is our country. This incident proves that we're ripe for another attack. Why are we letting Saudis into this country in a time of war?

[firewalk]

.

[operation clinton cleanup]

"Someone should be asking why these guys went anywhere on the bus. Why was it not stopped and evacuated immediately, and police called then and there? Was the driver an imbecile?

Thats what I'm screaming! This is one of those stories that we will probably never hear about again. (unless someone gets on a bus full of kids with a trench-coat loaded with explosives in the future).

[Windsong]

This is one of those stories that we will probably never hear about again.

Remember where the article is from: WorldNutDaily.

[Bon mots]

We have immigrants from all over the world coming to America. They don't jump onto school buses and lie about it.

If these guys are this stupid, they don't need college or studies, they need a brain transplant.

[Judith Anne]

World Net Daily isn't the only source for this article. Fox News is reporting on this today.

Apparently, their bail was revoked.

[maine-iac7]

and DHS better be taking a close look at their ALL student visa applications. (from MM's column)

They carried NO ID!

They're in this country on a visa - they KNOW they should have ID on them. The reasons for NOT carrying ID is not innocent

[Crawdad]

If they can get on one bus at a time, they can get on 100 at a time.

[maine-iac7]

Years ago, raising my kids, I had to have multiple jobs - the early morning one was school bus driving. If I had seen these two coming, as it was reported this bus driver did, they would seen a door slammed shut before they could enter.

And I would not have waited for questions - the bus would be rolling

[operation clinton cleanup]

Remember where the article is from: WorldNutDaily.

So your saying this never happened and the judge did not deny bail?