I'll go back and add it the thread on Terrorist Activity:
Where did they get the cash to buy the phones?
Follow the money!
we have a good search feature for postings...
From Wikipedia:
"Lithium batteries and methamphetamine labs
Unused lithium batteries provide a convenient source of lithium metal for use as a reducing agent in illegal methamphetamine labs. Some jurisdictions restrict or limit the sale of lithum batteries in an attempt to help curb the creation of illegal meth labs. However, the heavy demand for lithium batteries for use in modern, current-hungry devices such as digital cameras conflicts with such restrictions, and they remain controversial. For example, in Wal-Mart stores the limit of sale is four packages of lithium batteries (three in Missouri). [8] Rechargeable Ni-MH batteries are overtaking the disposable lithium batteries since they are more economical."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_battery
Phone & toss...
In Iraq and elsewhere, islamic terrorists use cell funds to detonate ieds. I wonder what the going rate is for cell phones in Iraq, Kashmir, Londonistan, Northwest territories, Baluchistan, Helmand Province, Kandahar, etal ?
i also heard flight/airport/security info was found...
How are about we require background checks on everyone purchasing cell phones now? (Sarcasm)
Sounds like another fishing expedition by the Feds to me.
Nothing suspicious here, right?
I'm getting worried, drive times from where these people have been caught, isn't very far from Metro Detroit.
Also it doesn't mean it's Dearborn, could be anywhere here!!
Warren, Hazel Park, Westland, or Detroit?
Any place could be a sleeper cell.
The only other legitimate reason I could see is if they're just paranoid because they're muslim and worry about people listening to their calls so they use these phones, but in that case they'd only need a couple at a time not a thousand, and I don't see how you would need that many for bomb-making either would you really spend the time constructing a thousand little bombs instead of a few big ones, definately weird and spooky.
I'll go back and add it the thread on Terrorist Activity:
Plot to Disrupt Next Season’s “American Idol” Thwarted
A scheme to disrupt next season’s “American Idol” was thwarted when an alert Wal-Mart employee grew suspicious and called Tuscola County central dispatch. The police apprehended three Middle Eastern men and confiscated 1000 cell phones the men had bought on a cross-country shopping spree.
Under the threat of being deported to Palestine the men confessed to being part of an al-Qaeda plot to jam the phone lines during the viewer voting phase of the “American Idol” with votes for the ugliest and least talented contestant in order to “break the morale of the decadent infidels.”
The phones were Nokia TracFones selling for $20 apiece. The TracFones are a nationwide prepaid wireless phone service and are even offered with international long distance.
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Drug dealers use a lot of "burner" (i.e. discardable) cell phones. Could be these guys are reselling to that market.
If they were driven by profits they would buy them wholesale and not have the expense of all the travel and time.
If they were reselling them locally they wouldn't destroy the packaging.
Obviously the intended end-user didn't want packaging or batteries. The only remaining value would be the unique "signature" of the phones. If an end-user had a number of them, they could use them randomly, switching a single battery around and remain fairly untraceable and anonymous. This would only be useful to people making calls, not receiving them.
The batteries could be sold to recover some of the cost, that's all.
Clearly they were surrepticiously creating a concealable means of communication for a large number of networked muslim people.
Hmmmmmmm. People like the leaders of al Qaeda or Hezbollah!
What is their explanation?