Stepping back in time.
Finally found something I’ve been searching for:
Medical centers put up their guard after being told they could be hit soon after an attack
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
BY ANGELA STEWART AND JONATHAN SCHUPPE
Star-Ledger Staff
Counter-terrorism officials have warned New Jersey hospitals that they themselves could become targets of terrorists in the minutes after a large-scale attack. By becoming “secondary targets,” the hospitals would be crippled or rendered unable to treat victims of an earlier attack.
The warning, communicated through the state Department of Health and Senior Services, has caused many hospitals to change the way they are doing business. In addition to their primary mission of patient care, they are being forced to devise plans to protect their facilities and supplies, including pharmaceuticals. “Hospitals have been asked to improve their security, preparedness, and to test and drill,” state Health Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy said yesterday. In addition, the state Office of Counter-Terrorism issued a bulletin Monday instructing ambulance operators to guard against suspicious people or behavior. Within the last week, workers at two New Jersey rescue squads and one emergency room reported receiving peculiar inquiries, said Sidney Caspersen, head of the state’s Counter-Terrorism Office. “These concern us enough to tell the community to be more vigilant regarding ambulances and other emergency vehicles,” Caspersen said. “That means not leaving them unattended and so forth. And if you see suspicious activity, notify us or your local police.”
In the first incident, three men “of Middle Eastern appearance” went to a volunteer ambulance squad headquarters and inquired about obtaining credentials to operate an emergency vehicle, Caspersen said. They then offered to pay to have the process expedited, he said. In the second instance, which Caspersen said occurred outside the emergency room of an Essex County hospital, a firefighter observed a man taking notes next to an ambulance. When the firefighter asked what he was doing, the man replied that he was an “ambulance mechanic” and wanted to know the location of the nearest firehouse. The firefighter asked the man for identification, and he produced a New York state driver’s license, Caspersen said.
****Finally, a man claiming to be a doctor from Pakistan approached members of an ambulance squad in Middlesex County, Caspersen said. The man asked numerous questions, including one about how fast ambulances travel.****(snip)
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ipg7YYtKFWIJ:www.cshe.org/WhatsNew/NJ%2520warns%2520hospitals%25208-11-04.doc+%22middle+eastern%22+fast+ambulances+travel&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
Thank you Velveeta.
Um, yes, I suppose so. The problem is that all of this information is readily available, at any library or even on the Internet. Some of it is even in the phone book. It sounds like the individuals involved (whatever their motivation) are essentially clueless about how to find out information in this society, or even fail to understand how it operates at a basic level.
If the questions were legitimate (that is, they were just interested in new career, etc), it's a very strange way to go about it. On the other hand, if point was illegitimate (some kind of criminal or terrorist plot), it's still strange - it draws attention to themselves unnecessarily, and suggests either some kind of freelance activity or that they were sent or recruited without adequate preparation and planning.
I'm betting freelancers of some kind - who are essentially clueless but who can be dangerous if they manage to slip through the cracks.
Bomb Threats Force Airport Evacuation
Transportation Officials Did Not Know If Any Bombs Were Found
FLINT, Mich. — Bishop International Airport in Flint, Mich., and two airplanes on the ground had to be evacuated.
Officials said nine bomb threats were called in to the airport’s rescue department around 5 p.m.
The evacuation began shortly after the threats were reported.
Four or five flights had to be diverted while bomb-sniffing dogs searched the terminal. Operations at the airport returned to normal shortly before 9 p.m.
FBI agents are assisting local authorities. Transportation officials did not know if any bombs were found or whether there were any suspects.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/13622939/detail.html