Posted on 08/14/2006 9:06:25 PM PDT by SandRat
Tucson Police are trying to track down two men of Middle Eastern descent who, reportedly, bought a number of cell phones within a 36-hour period over the weekend at a Tucson Sam's Club.
The incident comes on the heels of other similar incidents across the country.
The incidents have prompted terror investigations because, authorities say, those cell phones can be untraceable and used as detonators.
Tucson Police issued a news Release Tuesday afternoon regarding the incident that occurred three days ago.
Tucson Police were called to Tucson's Sam's Club on Friday just before noon on a 'suspicious activity" call.
Apparently, someone saw two men purchasing disposable cell phones.
TPD Sgt. Mark Robinson said, "It was two men of Middle Eastern descent buying a qantity of cell phones, more cell phones than one would think would use for personal use."
Employees at Sam's Club told News 4 that they saw Tucson Police show up at the business.
A spokeswoman for wWal-mart who also owns Sam's Club issued this statement.
"Wal-mart stores limit the sale of prepaid phones to three phones per transaction at Wal-Mart stores and Supercenters. At our Sam's Clubs (membership clubs), we limit the sale to five per transaction. This policy is a part of our agreement with manufacturers. We continue to assist law enforcement with ongoing investigations. We are not discussing the purchases or other details pertinent to the incident. Our goal is to assist law enforcement as they conduct an investigation. It simply would not assist the investigation for us to make any comments." Sharon Weber, a Wal-Mart spokesperson
Sgt. Robinson says the men didn't break any laws.
"We know that people use these phones for criminal activity such as dealing drugs or smuggling people into the United States. Those are a couple of uses tied to these phones. I believe nationally the FBI has tied these phones to terrorism."
However, Tucson Police say right now there's nothing to tie these men to criminal activity.
Sgt Robinson said, 'We don't know if these particular indviduals were involved in any kind of criminal activity at this time. That's why it's just a suspicious activity investigation. it's not a criminal investigation.'
The incident was turned over to the FBI.
Authorities encourage citizens to report any suspicious activity.
You say that why? Because they aren't announcing it to the New York Times?
Hate to say this but how many "Middle eastern" looking people have purchased over 5 feet of pipe recently?
Don't forget over 5 feet of red and blue wire - of solder and soldering irons, or integrated circuit chips, or ...
This could go on forever.
All I read here is paranoia carried to the Nth degree.
Go on Ebay and look up cell phone battery - then search for a cell phone charger, then the cell phone itself.
If I had the time I would go around and buy these up for 19 bucks and sell the parts for 25 bucks.
Carry this to the logical conclusion - why on earth would anyone need 1000 cell phones to detonate a couple bombs? Would not 5 cell phones work just as well? Probably, so perhaps we should tell Sam's Club to limit purchases to 1 cell phone (especially to middle easterners) so they have to go to 5 different stores to detonate their 5 bombs.
Perhaps we should limit the sale of alarm clocks, digital timers, wire, pipe, tape, and integrated circuits too.
Every time I read posts about Middle Eastern looking people buying cell phones I start looking for the aluminum foil hats.
I can just imagine 1,000 smal explosive devices such as acetone and peroxide with some of iron oxide and aluminum shavings mixed with some willy pete going off like a stream of firecrackers, each device a small claymore in range and with a deadly hail of high speed projectiles like BBs or jumping jacks. Eack device could be cleverly concealed as a construction warning cone to keep a safe lane open for emergency vehicles while 60,000 people are making the annual transit on the bridge.
Massive panic as scores are trampled, many decide to jump off the bridge as they are consumed in flames, mobile screaming funeral pyres and are captured doing so on live TV. Gore and body remnants splatter cables, roadway and columns. The bridge itself is intact but over 75% of those that were on it are injured.
I am hoping Tom Clancy will make use of this idea in a future book, he has predicted similar events.
I forgot that this would happen on a major bridge like the Mackinac.
Why is it legal to sell, but illegal to buy? Was Sam's considered terrorist when they purchased so many, or is that just a problem for those buying from Sam's?
In early reports, authorities said that they had a picture of "one of the spans" of that bridge. Obviously, for a bridge walk they would only close one span to car traffic. I'd be curious to see if that connection was made.
Second, I suspect this is more of an operation to buy up phones and ship them back to Iraq for roadside IED purposes.
Which, if that may be the case, what if the FEDS were already on to them and were tracking them in order to catch bigger fish? Just a thought...
When the next terrorist act claims many hundreds or even thousands of American lives, the only thing I want to hear out of you twerps is "I'm sorry I enabled terrorism by being an Islamic apologist."
Islamics love to turn cows inside out, Officer Barbrady.
He is abusing pot. ;-)
When all else fails, resort to personal insults. I am not enabling anyone or anything. Terrorists, junkies, and their ilk are responsible for their own actions.
I have a lot of flashlights around, too. Someday, I'll wise up and put a strip of "glow in the dark" stuff on them.
Nothing's failed. I've let you show yourself to be an apologist for Islamics. Being a defender of a bloody and murderous ideology lends them aid and comfort, and thusly, enables them.
I'll expect your apology to America when the next terrorist act hits.
I'm an eugenic enthusiast euthanasia enthusiast from Eugene.
I'm really excited to look for genetically superior enthusiasts and put them to sleep.
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You say that why? Because they aren't announcing it to the New York Times?
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I'm inclined to agree with you. This apparent attitude may very well be a smokescreen to deceive possible compatriots into false sense of security and keep them from going deeper underground.
LOL. Are you on something?
I was going to let this post pass into the oblivion of ignorance, but I couldn't resist the temptation to reply...
No one said it was illegal to buy the phones--duh. The American people are obviously using their brains (something all government agencies lack) and they are--GASP!!!--P R O F I L I N G--Something you must be against.
You are trying to tell me that there will not be another terrorist act that will kill and injure Americans.
Psychotic, heal thyself.
Yeah. I guess I agree with that.
An apologist and unashamed about it, that's you.
That confirms it, you are on something. Go back to your wooly mammoths.
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