Inside Scoop on Islamic Cell Phone Buyers Who Planned to Blow Up Mackinac Bridge

Debbie Schlussel.com ^ | August 13, 2006 | Debbie Schlussel

[goldstategop]

By now, you've probably read the news that the three Palestinians caught in Caro, Michigan with 1,000 TracFone cellphones are involved in a plot to blow up Michigan's Mackinac Bridge (it connects both Michigan peninsulas). Mackinac Bridge site here.

But here's what you didn't read:

Sources tell DebbieSchlussel.com that the men are from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the group that works in concert with HAMAS in performing homicide bombings in Israel. The group once even considered merging with HAMAS, at the time that it was headed by University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, a founder of the group. Maybe now sleepy Americans will awaken to note that Palestinian terrorism is not just Israel's problem. It's America's.

Sources say the plot was uncovered because law enforcement personnel observed two or more other men videotaping the Mackinac Bridge.

Mackinac Bridge (Peninsulas Bridge, Michigan)

Sources also say that it is very unlikely the men could have succeeded in blowing up the Mackinac Bridge--even with the chips from 1,000 phones for 1,000 bombs--as it is several miles long (it's the world's third longest suspension bridge). At a total length of 26,372 feet, the steel structure can support 38,486 tons of weight and is very, very strong and fortified. The sources say that, likely, the plan would have succeeded in bombing cars driving on the bridge, but not bringing the structure down

[Beckwith]

I think three men working to wire 1,000 cell phone triggered IED's to the bridge would probably have been noticed.

What if 1,000 followers of Mohammed, carryingh two sticks of dynamite each, were to mingle with the crowd of 60,000 and one cell phone call triggered all 1,000?

[Ready4Freddy]

Yeah, I agree w/ you, nuconvert. 'Home grown' doesn't mean 'immigrated here 10 years ago'... 'of Palestinian descent' doesn't quite tell us what we want/need to know.

[DOGEY]

Even though according to Michael Moore, there is no domestic terrorism, this is right near his summer place.
He will not see a problem until they detonate a bomb in his fat ass.

[freeperfromnj]

Coast Guard Steps Up Bridge Security

3 Palestinian-Americans Suspected Of Targeting Michigan Burdge

CARO, Mich., Aug. 14, 2006

(AP) The U.S. Coast Guard has increased patrols near the Mackinac Bridge after prosecutors said they believe three Palestinian-American men from Texas now jailed on terrorism-related charges were targeting the 5-mile-long span.........

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/14/national/main1890470.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1890470

[Ready4Freddy]

I just checked TracFone's site, looks like all their phones are GSM (Moto, Nokia). Checked a couple of the phones to make sure. GSM is the only svc available here that would make sense to use for a service like TracFone's.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Loose lips.

[freeperfromnj]

Also, if the men bought the phones in Wisconsin the day before and were planning to take them back to Texas to sell them, why were they traveling east (Michigan) rathern then south?

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

The Mackinack bridge theory is BS.

I agree.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

I couldn't find it on the Tracfone website but the idea that the phones DO work with GSM is supported by the Wikipedia entry, that the Tracfones can be used with GSM, TDMA and CDMA.

Note that someone was quick to update the Wikipedia entry to insert the "bulk resale" explanation for these guys' behavior.

*****

TracFone Wireless
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TracFone Wireless or TracFone is a wireless provider that provides prepaid wireless service. The service allows a customer to buy airtime units to use on the cell phone at various prices. The company is a subsidiary of Latin American wireless provider América Móvil. It is formerly known as Topp Telecom. The company also operates Net10 Wireless.

TracFone offers new and refurbished cell phones by Nokia and Motorola pursuant to a licensing agreement. TracFone sells digital cell phone models, although analog phones were available at one time. Depending on the customer region, TracFone service works in either a GSM, TDMA, or CDMA network. TracFone does not build its own wireless network but "resells" wireless service from more than 30 providers, as a mobile virtual network operator. In the United States, TracFone operates on the Cingular, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon networks, among others

TracFone requires the customer to "activate" a cell phone prior to use. Activation consists of purchasing units of available airtime. The customer redeems units by entering a validation code directly into the cell phone. A single unit roughly equates to one minute of telephone airtime. Text messages cost .3 units to send or receive on GSM phones, and .5 units on TDMA and CDMA phones.

Additionally, a customer is required to repeatedly purchase additional units after "activating" the phone, in order to keep the service active. The schedule of these repeated purchases will vary depending on the purchase price of airtime units. If a customer does not add airtime prior to the due date that is displayed on the handset, the service, the TracFone phone number, and any remaining units are lost. If service is reactivated within 60 days, the customer retains existing units on the handset.

The phones, airtime units, and accessories are available for purchase at various stores around the United States and online at the TracFone website. Airtime units are usually sold through cards that come in denominations of 60 (USD$19.99), 120 ($29.99), 250 ($49.99), and 400 ($79.99) airtime minutes which extend the active service by 60 days. There is also a card for 250 minutes + 1 year of active service ($99.99), and another that provides 400 minutes + 1 year active service during which period minutes from other cards are doubled (e.g. a 100 minute card provides 200 minutes service, $129.99). Under some circumstances, customers may also use special 'Promotion codes', that allow extra units on airtime purchases.

The TracFone service has enjoyed popularity among some customers, partially because of the Refer-A-Friend program, whereby existing customers can refer their friends to TracFone in order to get free airtime units. [1] Moreover, TracFone has attracted some customers by promoting price-comparison, as well as its pre-pay service structure.

In contrast to the popularity of the TracFone service, there have also been some complaints as well. Example complaint reports can be found at Consumer Affairs regarding the quality of the product, the limitations of the service, and the business practices of the company. [2]

Tracfone Customer Service is currently being outsourced to several companies in Latin-American countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia and Belize[citation needed].

[edit]
Bulk Buying Loophole and Terrorism allegations
For several years Tracfone has had the problem of its heavily subsidized handsets being bought and resold in bulk. In a common practice handsets are bought in large quantities, the airtime is harvested by removing the sim card and the handsets are sold to bulk resellers. The bulk reseller can sell the parts such as the battery and charger legally, but may commiting an illegal act if they manipulate the internal software and "unlock" the handset.

The practice has become so widespread that Tracfone has attempted to place additional exclusive locking software on its handsets last year, and in February 2006 Tracfone began suing one large bulk reseller on the basis of a claimed DMCA violation. [3]

In August 2006, during the week of a special Tracfone promotion which attached a net of 360 minutes and a handset for $20, two Arabic-American men from Dearborn, Michigan, were arrested in Marietta, Ohio and charged with soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism because engaged in the common practice of buying a dozen to as many as several hundred TracFones. The local elected proscutors alledged the two men bought the cell phones for resale so they can be used to detonate bombs or make untraceable international calls. A second, similar case arose days later in Caro, Michigan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TracFone_Wireless

[GOPJ]

And they wonder why the MSM is sucking the tailpipe.

LOL

[Ready4Freddy]

Well, they also mentioned the Arab-American terrorist tie-in. I didn't check all the TracFones (didn't realize they have so many models for sale), not too surprising that some are for CDMA (Verizon). Only the GSM flavor is suitable for Europe/ME, tho. Note that they also mentioned the 'unlocking' aspect.

Note that someone was quick to update the Wikipedia entry to insert the "bulk resale" explanation for these guys' behavior.

[Dick Vomer]

yeah, there's no way you're gonna knock down both towers of the world trade center with a couple of jets...

1000 charges set on the braces under the bridge... couple of pounds of c-4 or delayed detonation with big charges on the cables supporting some of the spans.... puhleeze... if 1000 seperate charges can't blow down a building, we wouldn't use....1000 seperate charges to blow up buildings for destruction...

who's to say they just didn't want to knock out a couple of spans.... How about 10-20 18 wheelers filled with ammonium nitrate and oil.... sound familiar.

we saw what one small ryder truck did to the front of the Murrah building.

that was ONE truck....

these guys are just whistling past the graveyard. Nothing to see here folks just walk on by.....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I bet there were people that would've said nobody could take down the Twin Towers with a plane either!

Rudy Guliani for one . . .

[EDINVA]

"They could never have brought down the world's third longest suspension bridge.... "

well, this reminds me of WTC '93 and WTC '2001 ... we upped security on the ground in the WTC, so they came up with a "better idea." These people are not only evil beyond our rekoning, they are determined and patient, unlike Americans who are more interested in "moving on."
If islamofascist moms are willing to blow up their babies, we have to accept there is no low for them.

[July 4th]

What if 1,000 followers of Mohammed, carryingh two sticks of dynamite each, were to mingle with the crowd of 60,000 and one cell phone call triggered all 1,000?

The cell phone system couldn't handle it as a normal call. If these idiots had figured out a way to call all phones at the same time, it probably would have crashed the cell site. (Particularly since (I think) the Tracfones are usually relegated to the lowest priority on the system because of their prepaid status.) There is another way to ring all of the phones at once, but that is probably beyond the technical comprehension of these psychos.

[Beckwith]

Doesn't each chip have a serial number that is attached to a phone number?

Since the chips are programmable, why can't all the serial numbers be programmed to point to the same phone number?

[Poincare]

Thermite (high school chemistry) in the right place....

[July 4th]

Since the chips are programmable, why can't all the serial numbers be programmed to point to the same phone number?

Not to get too much into it here (although this is all publicly available on any general cell phone forum), but when you turn on a phone, it registers itself with the cell (and the system). If the cell were to receive registration requests from 1,000 of the same serial numbers, it would boot them all off of the network. It's the network's built in fraud protection.

[Beckwith]

But, you suggest there is a way?

Needless to say, don't publish it here.

[robertpaulsen]

"Just how long would it take to dial 1,000 cell phones"

That was my first thought. At 15 seconds per phone call, it would take over 4 hours to call them all.