Tucson authorities looking for 2 Middle Eastern men

KVOA Tucson Channel 4 News ^ | Lorraine Rivera

[SandRat]

Law enforcement sources confirm to News 4 that Tucson Police have issued an "attempt to locate" on two Middle Eastern men in their 20's who purchased nearly 50 phones from Sam's Club and Wal-Mart in Tucson.

Sources say the men made the purchases on Saturday and Sunday.

There's been a number of arrests nationwide with very similar circumstances.

News 4 is not linking this case with the national cases, but we do want to point out how similar they are.

Arrests have been made in Michigan and Ohio and there are reports of large numbers of cell phones being sold to young men fitting the same description in Wisconsin.

There was a very similar case that went down in Antigo, Wisconsin where police say another group of men bought more than 90 cell phones from 4 different stores.

News 4 spoke with a Wal-mart and Sam's Club representative and he would not confirm nor deny that these men did in fact buy those phones.

Instead, he referred us to the police and we spoke with the Pima Sheriff's Department and the Marana and Oro Valley police departments.

Tucson law enforcement authorities confirmed late Sunday night that officers are searching for these two men.

[CindyDawg]

No one (well maybe you) is freaking out. We are trying to solve a mystery:') Everyone of us probably went about our normal routine today.

[DaveTesla]

[Yaelle]

I like the way you think.

It could be that this is a diversion, especially with the NSA focus now on the WalMart phones -- but I doubt our agencies would actually focus on the ground in the places where the phones happen to be purchased.

I don't understand their dismantling in the phones, for various nefarious uses or for "legitimate" resale.

I keep thinking that for cheap communication (or detonation) probably we are the best deal on the rope they will use to hang us with in Iraq and everywhere else.

[stlnative]

another link about it...

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

[CindyDawg]

I hope they didn't sell that thing to you like that:')

[Peach]

Then why throw away the batteries and chargers, like so many of them have been doing?

[DaveTesla]

This is how it is done in Iraq.

"The EOD team leader didn’t know it was an IED. He was just going to do a BIP (Blow in Place) of ordnance. He returned after the explosion to do a post blast investigation and discovered what is in the picture."

[piasa]

What components do the phones have that make them attractive to islamoterrorists?

Essentially the phone can be converted into a cheap detonator.

[metmom]

ping

[CindyDawg]

A missed call?

[ndt]

"We are trying to solve a mystery:')"

Me freaking out? Hardly.

But here is an idea for the LEOs out there. Stop making busts in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. Instead track them, figure out who they are and watch them. If there is indeed a plot, making it into national news when you don't even know what the phones are for solves nothing and catches no one.

[Bubble Girl]

Well, damn, am I uniformed or what? Thanks for letting me know.

[Yaelle]

Whoa. I guess they intend them all to end up with a "call missed."

[CindyDawg]

Don't you imagine the feds are doing that? I am glad local LE is telling us what's happening though. We don't know what they are doing. A business just doesn't sound profitable. You see the one the poster showed us in Iraq? Maybe they are selling them back home. Who knows? We are watching them though and they know it.

[stlnative]

I don't think they are throwing away the batteries... they are just separating the everything and the purpose of this would be they probably resell the batteries (since they are uncharged) and use 1 or 2 batteries the already have on hand that are charged and fit the phones they are buying.

In other words they probably have many new handsets (cellphones) and a few good charged batteries on hand at all times. They just recharge the same batteries over and over, pop the (old) battery out but throw the handsets away after they use up the 40 minutes that come with each of the handsets.

The chargers are useless and not valuable and they once again would not need to have a new charger all the time, just have one or 2 on hand to charge the one or two batteries they keep on hand.

[piasa]

They are separating the phones from the batteries and the chargers, but that doesn't neccessarily mean they are throwing away the batteries. I had heard they were tossing the chargers but I have not heard they were also throwing away the batteries- the articles I read said they were just putting phones in one box and batteries in another, and chargers in with the trash.

[ndt]

"We are watching them though and they know it."

My point exactly. They are not supposed to know they are being watched. Do you support the NYT releasing info about wiretaps and bank records surveillance too. If not, why not?

When they know they are being watched, they change their behavior and you often miss your chance to actually catch them.

[DaveTesla]

More like an scr opto isolator hooked to the cell phone speaker.
When the phone rings the opto isolator fires the scr
which latches the DPDT relay providing dc power to a blasting cap.

Can basically be detonated from ANYWHERE remotely by calling the phones number.

[Velveeta]

Thanks, Cal.

[piasa]

yep