Posted on 08/31/2007 10:46:24 PM PDT by mdittmar
Earlier this summer a concerned crew member of a Washington State ferry boat snapped pictures of two men who had raised suspicions on several ferry rides by asking questions about structural details and entering areas of the boats that are off limits.
Now, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released two photographs of the men to the public with the goal of identifying them, a debate has erupted over alleged racial profiling, one ferry was shut down briefly this week and the men, while suddenly familiar faces, remain unidentified.
"We have some promising leads that have come in since we published the pictures," said Larry Carr, a special agent with the Seattle field office of the F.B.I. The agency released the images on Monday.
The pictures show two men with dark hair and olive skin standing beside a ferry deck railing overlooking the water. Their hands are in their pockets. Their eyes look toward the camera. In a statement released that day, the agency said the men had "exhibited unusual behavior." The behavior "may have been innocuous," the agency said, but law enforcement "would like to resolve these reports."
The F.B.I. has emphasized that the men are not suspects in a crime and that no threats have been made to the ferry system. But two days after the pictures were released, one ferry, the Puyallup, was shut down for an hour at the main Seattle terminal. Officials said an object found in a men's bathroom during a routine security sweep prompted the action. The object turned out not to be dangerous, and it was not linked to the two men. . .
Arsalan Bukhari, president of the Seattle chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and an attendee at the Thursday meeting, said, "We didn't come out of the meeting feeling more hopeful." Mr. Bukhari said releasing the photographs implied some kind of guilt and "mobilized the wrong kind of people to look for" the men. "It raises the fear factor," he said.
"Had these been two good ol' boys from South Carolina driving through and speeding—and even if they did have some fireworks—nobody would have been arrested," Bedier said.
-ccm
yep
The FBI have pics of two men whom they are trying to ID, but if they show the pic to someone, it’s racial profiling?
This could impede police investigations.
Guess we can’t put pics of missing kids on milk cartons anymore.
If I show my driver license to a cop, am I racially profiling myself?
Look like a couple of real charmers.
Muslim is not a race. A species, maybe, but not a race.
Arsalan Bukhari, president of the Seattle chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and an attendee at the Thursday meeting, said, “We didn’t come out of the meeting feeling more hopeful.”
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Good Assalan, it is about time you fear us.
Perceived? What a joke. Anyone with eyesight can tell that they are Middle Easteners. Let CAIR call it what they want. We shouldn't be listening to terrorists.
The one guy looks like Mohammed Atta Jr.
What is the difference?
The real nut jobs seem to be clean shaven.
Doesn't matter,we will kill or capture all of them,we have no choice.
Oh dude. They’re clean shaven.
funny, that doesn’t look like two old ladies from pasadena on their vacation.
Wannabe dummies trying to kill us by sinking a ferry
Doesn't matter.
Anyone who saw United 93 shouldn't forget that, but I guess I have until you reminded me.
it would have been better if a group of ferry passengers
had just grabbed these guys and tossed them over the railing.
Why mess around?
It’s Seattle,they might spill their latte.
Who can say it hasn’t already happened?
Screw CAIR, just show us some pictures and somebody will quietly take out the trash.
>>it would have been better if a group of ferry passengers
had just grabbed these guys and tossed them over the railing.
Why mess around?<<
That silly “rule of law” thing gets in the way.
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