[GhostSoldier]

It said the man was questioned and released - something authorities regretted days later when the film was developed.

The photos were of security checkpoints, police posts and surveillance cameras at 26 Federal Plaza, two federal courthouses and the federal building at 290 Broadway.

Our nations finest?

I wish that it was unbelieveble....but its not. This scares the hell out of me.

[goldstategop]

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Politically correct concerns about civil liberties prevented the FBI from keeping 3 of the hijackers it had in custody back in the summer until the evidence was completely developed? Thanks to a misplaced concern for the constitutional rights of budding terrorists the World Trade Center Towers are a pile of smoking rubble, the Pentagon was devastated, 5,000 people in the WTC lost their lives, Barbara Olson was murdered, and the passengers on Flight 93 had to do what the FBI should be done back last summer. Or what else are we missing in this picture? FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE. Talk about a FUBAR or SNAFU situation this is it. Imagine what the world would be like today had the FBI waited an interrogated the terrorists extensively this week's tragedy might have been completely averted. All cause FBI pantsywaists decided terrorists rights were more important than the lives of the people they subsequently murdered. How wonderful!

[vbmoneyspender]

Former New York FBI chief Lewis Schiliro agreed that more extensive background checks could have been conducted and the film developed more quickly, but he defended the agents' actions. "What they did was probably reasonable at the time," he said. "I don't see where they could have done too much more."

With comments like these, maybe its a good thing he is a former FBI chief.

[tbeatty]

I am amazed they picked up people simply taking pictures. How many people are in New York everyday taking pictures? I bet at least 1,000 people took pictures yesterday and I suspect that not all of them were for benign purposes.

I wish they had detained them further in light of what happened, but I don't see how they could have. I would like to read the original Post article because I bet it's probably critical of the FBI even picking them up.

[Kerensky]

The following CD cover was crafted in July:

Anarchists, Communists and Jihadists alike revel in the destruction.

[GeronL]

WW2 carrier, floating museum, USS INTREPID, has been federalized. It is being outfitted 'for a new mission' according to the man who ran it on a NYC-based talk show.

What could this old ship do? It would take a while to make it a hospital ship or a helicopter/marine carrier... wouldn't it?

[Neanderthal]

"Schiliro said detaining the three men until more complete background checks were made might have raised the controversial issue of "profiling" suspects and violated their civil liberties."

Thank you, Democratic Party.

[Old Landmarks]

If 80% of all terrorism is carried out by Muslims from the Middle East, wouldn't it be wise to watch them more closely than say those who came from a country like Denmark or Poland and who are not Muslim?

It just makes sense to spend your resources where their is more of a mathmatical likelihood that the threat is much, much greater.

Does this mean all Muslims are guilty? No! It just means we want our way of life to survive an army of homicidal maniacs who would certainly use nukes, poison or germs on us if they could. (Oh and that will happen one day)

Playing the game the we are playing now will not stop the next even larger attack. There is no way you can treat these people like we would treat a man who is suspected of wanting to murder his ex-wife. We can't do anything until we get proof that he broke the law. Many times he only breaks the law the day he finally decides it is time to kill her and himself.

The problem here is that when these terrorists people finally do break the law they will murder as many as possible with as big a bomb etc. possible along with themselves.

Until the day they carry out the mass murders they can encrypt their messages and plot their mass murder stategy and make cries of bigotry if they under suspicion.

If I were a good Muslim who hated these murders (as I am sure many do), I would put up with whatever it took to stop these animals. I would understand why someone might suspect me more than someone from Haiti.

Let us get this very clear, they want to DESTROY US and our way of life.....COMPLETELY!

[HAL9000]

An article about the feds' brief detention of the picture-taking men appeared in The Post on July 1.

FEDS LET TERROR SPY WRIGGLE FREE

[Demidog]

Don't be posting these articles that are critical of our govenrnment. Don't you know that there is no blame to be placed at them during this critical time of war? Our first concern is to nuke the crap out of every country in the middle east except for Israel. Just shut up about this. Keep it hush hush. "Loose lips sink ships" (of state) don't you know.

[marsh2]

The civil liberties of all American citizens should be jealously guarded. These individuals, however, were not citizens. I am not an attorney, but I would think that unless treaty obligations specified that they were to be afforded privileges commensurate with American citizen's rights, then the federales should have every right to hold them to a higher standard of scrutiny.

[thinden]

Three grainy intelligence photos of the men were attached to the memo, with the name of one suspect, Mohamed Hassan Abbadi, scrawled under what appeared to be a passport picture.

Mohamed Hassan Abbadi. does this name turn up anywhere?

[Lessismore]

...in and around an N.Y.C. federal facility that served no legitimate purpose,"

Apparently.

[roughrider]

"Schiliro said detaining the three men until more complete background checks were made might have raised the controversial issue of "profiling" suspects and violated their civil liberties."

This is ridiculous, and Schiliro knows it. The camel jockeys were not photographing monuments or tourist attractions. They were photographing security assets at a building that has no attraction to tourists, but is a government/law enforcement complex. The FBI had a responsibility to hold them under investigative detention until their identities could be verified. That shouldn't have taken very long. Property--the film--WAS confiscated. Once it was developed, they should have sought the terrorists out after letting them go. If they could not be found, an alert bulletin should have been issued.

Everytime something like this happens, American citizens wind up with fewer "civil liberties," but camel jockeys have "rights," even when they are not citizens. It makes no sense.

[ethical]

Schiliro said detaining the three men until more complete background checks were made might have raised the controversial issue of "profiling" suspects and violated their civil liberties.

Bush and Ashcroft have got themsleves backed up against the wall with their capitulation to liberals and minorities on "racial profiling".

Today and yesterday I have heard both of them say that American citizens needed to have a "heightened" sense of security or alertness. Neither Bush nor Ashcfrot would name the thing we are suppossed to have a heightened sense of awareness about. As a nation what are we suppossed to be "alert" about right now? A tree? A 90 year old man in a wheelchair? A 7 year old child? A pregnant woman?

What are we suppossed to be alert about? Possible enemies and terrorists, people we should not trust. Who are they? Right now Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent. Background checks and valid deportations are in order pronto.

[MizSterious]

FYI

[Judge Parker]

FYI