Looking for Map of Cell Phone Purchases

self | August 11, 2006 | madison10

[madison10]

Has any one made a map, or done any tracking, of cities/towns the cell phones are being purchased? or of where the suspects are being picked up?

Thanks.

[Blogger]

There were like 5 Uniontowns in PA. So I probably picked up the wrong one. I picked one near a large town (Harrisburg)

[Old Student]

" I also stated that if such Middle Easterner tries to make such purchases, I would have no problem of shooting him first, then asking questions later."

You think this would not be considered indiscriminate killing?

You also suggested background checks for any item that could be used to make weapons. Since that is just about EVERYTHING...

FRiend, you need to think about what you're posting a lot more before you post it. In case you hadn't noticed, we also have Muslims on our side. We have Iraqi, Pakistani, and Afghani soldiers, police, and civilians, helping us against the terrorists in their countries. According to the news, the recent bombing plot against the airlines was reported by a Muslim woman. There are, indeed, enemies who claim to be Muslims out there. There are Muslims who have risked, and in many cases lost, their lives to help us, too.

I will admit I've posted rather too hastily, time and again, but so far, I've not seen you do anything else. You've apparently been here on FR longer than I have. I'd expect better of you.

[billakay]

You may have a point, but I would assume that they need to take them apart to figure out how to wire into the ringer speaker...

[TommyDale]

"You think this would not be considered indiscriminate killing?"

That would actually be discriminate killing, only Jihadist Muslim Fascists.

"You also suggested background checks for any item that could be used to make weapons. Since that is just about EVERYTHING..."

If a Middle Easterner goes in to a Radio Shack to buy a hundred phones, a call to the FBI for a background check might be a good idea.

As far as the rest of your rant, I will post what I think, whether you like it or not.

[Old Student]

"Hey, we are in a war. Whatever can be used for a weapon should not be allowed to be purchased without a background check, especially when we know what their motive is. "

Besides cell phones, what else, in YOUR opinion can be used for a weapon? How about aluminum cans? Cotton cloth or string? Charcoal? Gasoline? Kerosene? How do we know what "their" motive is? You read minds?

"I also stated that if such Middle Easterner tries to make such purchases, I would have no problem of shooting him first, then asking questions later."

I'm especially interested in this because you advocate shooting people who try to buy such things based on your assessment of their intent. Aside from your ability to judge intentions, tell me: Can YOU tell the difference between someone from the Middle East, someone from Mexico, someone from Italy, or someone from Southern Germany? Most (though not all) of the people from those places, and many others, have black hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. How can you tell who to shoot, and who not?

[PA Engineer]

Here is some further information on the Monroeville, Murrysville stop. From the Tribune Review:

Foreign man being held for feds

Tribune-Review

Foreign man being held for feds

By Liz Zemba TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, August 7, 2006

A man from the Republic of Georgia is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on a federal detainer after he and another foreigner were found in Murrysville with 15 prepaid cell phones and $4,200 in cash, police said.

Malkhaz Zakutashvili, 53, was held through the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Murrysville police Sgt. Charles Tappe said.

The federal agency told police not to hold the second man, Zurabi Maisuradze, 25, who is also of the Republic of Georgia, Tappe said.

Zakutashvili told police he was in the country illegally, Tappe said. Maisuradze claimed to have a visa, but he said he had forgotten to bring it with him.

The two men were questioned just before 8 p.m. Saturday because their van, which did not have a permanent registration plate, was stopped in a lane of traffic in the Franklin Plaza parking lot, near an Eckerd drugstore, Tappe said.

The white van had only a temporary cardboard tag displayed in a window.

The men said they were immigrants, but each displayed Michigan drivers' licenses, Tappe said.

The prepaid cell phones, which the men had recently purchased in Monroeville and Murrysville, were found inside the van. Also in the van were a laptop computer and global-positioning software.

Tappe said a bomb-sniffing dog from the Westmoreland County Sheriff's Office searched the van.

"It was a 2006 van, but it was all gutted out," Tappe said. "No seats or paneling on the walls. For all intents and purposes, it was the kind of vehicle that could be used for explosive devices."

The dog found nothing, Tappe said.

Most of the money, $3,400, belonged to Maisuradze and was found in an envelope in the van. The remaining $800 was in Zakutashvili's possession.

The men had visited the Eckerd store to purchase batteries, Tappe said. They told police they were en route to Philadelphia.

Tappe said the federal agent who investigated, Richard Nicoloff, did not ask Murrysville police to confiscate any of the items from the van.

"They didn't want the laptops or the cell phones," Tappe said. "That surprised me ... Just with the activities, and what they were doing, I'm surprised they let Zurabi go without questioning him."

Nicoloff did not return a phone call Sunday seeking comment.

The Republic of Georgia is a country in western Asia. It is bordered by Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Black Sea. Liz Zemba can be reached at lzemba@tribweb.com or (724) 836-6646.

[InterceptPoint]

This has all the appearance of a plan to detonate lots and lots of IEDs here in the USA.

I agree. I posted a similar theory on the Middle East thread. Note that the IEDs could be shot off all at once per al Qaeda or 100 a week ala Hezbollah.

[TommyDale]

Yawn...

[Blogger]

Why let the other guy go?

[SamAdams76]

I purchased a cellphone this week in Nashua, NH. (It's a birthday present for my wife). So please put me on the map.

[SamAdams76]

On a more serious note, consider the concentration in the Great Lakes area. I know there is an annual walk across the bridge up in Michigan that involves many thousands of people on September 4th. This is something that law enforcement authorities ought to take note of. Perhaps they are planning on taking the bridge down with cellphone bombs.

[PA Engineer]

Why let the other guy go?

Everyone is asking the same question. I do not have a warm and fuzzy feeling about this.

[ladyjane]

I'm glad you added that. On another thread they said 65,000 people walk across that bridge every Labor Day weekend.

I think I am going to avoid any large gatherings in the near future.

[glymers]

you can add Lisbon, Ct to that list. last week 2 ME men in their 20's purchased 50 prepaid cell phones. Cahier was unaware of the recent news. My question is this recent story is walmart phones. Why are the mgr's at walmart not passing this word to their employees. And why are they letting 50 phones go at one time without someone raising an eyebrow/

[Vinnie]

Any cell phone can be tracked to the cell tower it is near, whether the phone is being used or not. As long as it's turned on its whereabouts is known to the radius of the cell tower signal.
After all, how would your call be routed to you unless a computerized system was tracking your phone?

These prepaid trac phones are anonymous. There are no personal identifiers attached to the phone.
That is what makes them so attractive to criminals and terrorists. So, while a trac phone can be tracked to about a 2 mile radius, WHO is using the phone remains a mystery.

With that said, wasn't it mentioned that the chip inside the phone could be used separately to detonate a device?

I think some of the phones are being dismantled for the chip and possibly shipped abroad. While other phones are being used for anonymous communication.

[madison10]

The phones are not being sold 50 at a time...at least they weren't in Caro. The buyers came in at different times, used different registers/cashiers and it was very early in the morning. They only picked up 80 there, but apparently had been busy elsewhere. Luckily a cashier caught on.

[Blogger]

Here is what I have so far with what was purchased and where:

	# Of Phones	Potential Target
Spearfish, SD	Large Quantity
Hemet, CA	150
Dallas, TX	$60 K worth (up to 3000 phones)
Brownsville, TX	?
Midland, TX	60
Nashville, TN	?
Sparta, WI	?
Onalaska, WI	?
Viroqua, WI	?
Caro, MI	1000	Macinac Bridge
Alma, MI	?	Macinac Bridge
Ithaca, MI	Foiled before purchased	Macinac Bridge
Marietta, OH	600	“It’s their belief that they send these TracFones overseas, and they use (the chips) against the troops…"
Grafton, WV	150
Murrysville/Monroeville PA	15
Uniontown, PA	Several
Aiken, SC	$100s of dollars worth
Memphis, TN	Unknown Quantity, but noted on TV
Greenville, SC	?
Jackson, AL	~400

[madison10]

Correction: I believe only 80 phones were purchased in Caro, but 1000 were found already in the van.

Can anyone substantiate the number of cell phones purchased in the cities listed? Some of the purchases may have been attempted, but not completed. Thanks!

[Blogger]

You are correct. 80 phones were purchased there, but there were 1000 phones in their vehicle so I associated the full number with the place of the bust. It could be that they bought some of the phones elsewhere.

[madison10]

Thanks for the correction and thank you for the chart!