Prosecutor: Mackinac Bridge was target (plan for cell phones)

The Saginaw News ^ | JUSTIN ENGEL08/12/06

[SE Mom]

Tuscola County prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Saturday against three men who they say bought dozens of cell phones Friday in Caro in a globally coordinated plot involving the Mackinac Bridge.

They charged brothers Adham Abdelhamid Othman, 21, and Louai Abdelhamied Othman, 23, along with their cousin, Maruan Awad Muhareb, 18, with identical counts of collecting material to support terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target with intent to committ terrorism.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

I'm surprised that not many people seem to think this way. For years, my feeling has been that the impact they are going for will include everything and everywhere. All at once, bombs will detonate on trains, bridges, malls, stadiums, perhaps more planes, airports, Churches, schools...nothing will be off limits. Big cities, small towns. Museums, ships, ports...power stations, etc. The picture is being painted so broad, that evacuating trains and stations, airports and grounding airplanes will do very little to help.

That's what I think their plans are. This is why they are so spread out.

[GarySpFc]

They could hook them up to propane cans, detonate them.
I knew a fire fighter and he said one can of propane can take out a city block, no problem. The blast and then the burn.
Im sure there are other items. They may have dynamite from construction jobs.

Sorry, but your fire fighter is wrong. In the Oklahoma City explosion there were several propane containers, but that was used to propel the fertilizer mixture which created a heaving effect.

[SleekMaid]

Thanks for this.......I don't see it on Drudge.....Anyone ping him ?

[Diva]

Prayers for their safe travel. :-)

Thanks Pinz! They called about 10 PM and are planning on returning late tomorrow evening and drive through the night. When they went up last time it was in November and Lake Superior looked grey. This time they said that both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are beautifully blue.

[GarySpFc]

I saw the Mackanic Bridge building documentary, and I could be wrong on this point, but wasn't there a problem getting to bedrock, and so the concrete anchor blocks are huge?

[PA-RIVER]

Were they filled with propane?

[pointsal]

Months!

Where is are the cops...who is going thru Tracfone's shipping records?

[El Gran Salseron]

"My understanding is that lithium batteries are internally fused to prevent explosion from a short circuit."

Not so. I worked at a company that used lithium batteries for offshore survey work. They blew up quite frequently but fortunately did not cause any injuries. They usually blew up over night during charging or test discharging.

[NormanTuttle]

Six Million Muslims reside in the United States of America. I consider all of them potential enemies of the state. I find it hard to trust a muslim and or find his residency in my country suspicious.

[PA-RIVER]

I think from fire fighters perspective, they can explode like a bomb and start a fire that is massive and spreading fast enough to spread over several apartment building or condos very quickly. Good ammo for peacful muslims.

[GarySpFc]

I would be surprised if the next attack is on a bridge or against airplanes. I have little doubt a school or schools is going to be a future target.

May I suggest you might want to read, Terror at Beslan by John Giduck. Giduck is an ex-Special Forces officer, and was on the scene as the Russian Spetsnaz were wrapping up the operation. This is one of the best military books I have read. As a side note, you might want to question how Giduck was able to obtain permission to be on the scene in Russia?

[GarySpFc]

Were they filled with propane?
Yes!

[Ciexyz]

Yours is the first sensible explanation of this scenario that I've read on FR.

[PA-RIVER]

Six million peacful Muslims.... 300 million pissed off Americans after the next hit. They must have a death wish.

[piasa]

The targets are unlimited- that's precisely why we can't just play defensive.

[tommix2]

problem getting to bedrock, I don't remember. I worked for the steel contractor, not the foundation contractor.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

.."SOMEWHERE in TIME".. on Mackinac Island

http://www.SomewhereinTime.tv

.

[reformedliberal]

I know what you mean about the appearance of Coasties. However, I know one of their Chiefs,who is himself just barely 40 and to us oldtimers looks like a kid, too.

I trust those kids. Take a look at our Marines. They are all youngsters, too. Yes, they have attitude and yes, it can grate on me at times, but I think that attitude is part of why they can perform their jobs.

You know, they send those Coasties out against well-armed pirates and drugrunners and the boys do ok.

[tommix2]

That's what I think their plans are. This is why they are so spread out.You may be right. That would be devastaing. I've thought about that too.

[GarySpFc]

I found the following.

When finished, the cables were close to 25 inches in diameter. Each cable consists of 340 wires banded into a single strand; 37 strands are then assembled into a single cable. To complete the job and add extra strength, a covering is spun around each finished cable. More than 42,000 miles of wire were used in the two main bridge cables!

Although the center span of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif., is longer then the Mackinac Bridge, from foundation pier to foundation pier, it is 2,164 feet shorter than the "Mighty Mac." The total length of the suspended portion of the Mackinac Bridge is 8,614 feet; the same length on the Golden Gate Bridge measures 6,450 feet.

How long will the bridge last? Now more than 40 years old, the Mackinac Bridge has withstood some incredible winds and severe snow and rain storms and has shown little sign of weakness. The original bridge architects and designers say that, if properly maintained, the bridge will probably last for 1,000 years! The bridge is currently being totally stripped and repainted, an $80-million project that will take more than 20 years to complete! A total resurfacing of the bridge roadway will be a $189 million project, expected to begin around 2016.