FWIW:
No Charges Expected in Miami Port Alert
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/07/D8MGQCKO1.html
Three legal immigrants in a cargo truck were detained at the Port of Miami on Sunday after a routine inspection raised concerns, but police say the incident may have stemmed in part from a language barrier.
The port's cargo area was shut down Sunday as the Miami-Dade bomb squad X-rayed the truck and scanned it for radioactive materials. Nothing unusual was found, officials said.
The men in the truck _ two Iraqis and one Lebanese national _ were still detained by local police Sunday evening, but authorities said no federal charges were expected. Officials initially said the men, all permanent U.S. residents, had been caught trying to slip past a checkpoint at the port's entrance.
A port security officer became suspicious when the truck driver could not produce proper paperwork in a routine inspection to enter the port about 8 a.m., Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Nancy Goldberg said.
The driver also indicated he was alone in the truck, though security officers found two other men in the cab, she said. The two passengers, ages 28 and 29, were a friend and a relative of the 20-year-old Iraqi driver, she said.
"Due to a miscommunication between the gate security personnel and the truck driver, we believe there was a discrepancy in the number of people in the vehicle attempting to enter the Port of Miami," Goldberg said. "This, and the fact that one of the individuals did not have any form of ID, raised our level of concern."
Thank you Fair Opinion for that update.
Adding to you post no. 344, Fair Opinion.
UPDATE:
*CHARGES WERE DISMISSED*
http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/010807/D8MH87H00.shtml
AP
Monday, January 8, 2007
Story last updated at 1:01 p.m. on Monday, January 8, 2007
"Charges dropped against 3 who caused unfounded Miami port scare"
By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press Writer
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "MIAMI - A judge on Monday dropped trespassing and other minor charges against three Middle Eastern men from Michigan who sparked a brief and unfounded terrorism scare at the Port of Miami.
Officials initially said the permanent U.S. residents from Iraq and Lebanon were caught trying to slip past a checkpoint in a cargo truck at the port's entrance Sunday. After a bomb squad search, authorities determined their freight of automotive parts was harmless and the incident stemmed from a simple miscommunication.
Still, local police charged truck driver Amar Al Hadad, 28, on Monday with resisting an officer without violence. His passengers were a relative, Hussain Al Hadad, 24, and Hassan El Sayed, 20, police said. Both were charged with trespass, and Hussain Al Hadad also faced the resisting charge. All are from Dearborn, Mich.
But court records showed the charges were dismissed by a judge later Monday and the men were released from jail. Miami-Dade County police declined to comment on the judge's decision. Authorities said no federal charges were expected."