FBI furious over release of 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plant

Reuters \South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | October 31 2001, 11:07 AM EST

[Walkin Man]

MIAMI - Federal agents are searching for six men who were detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline.

FBI director Robert Mueller was said to be ``furious'' at the release, the Miami Herald reported, citing an unidentified senior law enforcement official.

The incident apparently contributed to the new terror warning issued by the U.S. government, it said. FBI and INS officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.

[Texbob]

The FBI continues as the Keystone Kops.

[citizen]

This is where Tom Ridge needs to send a message and rip the INS officials that released these likely terrorists a new one.

When the INS officials tell Ridge they make their own decisions about who to release and who to consult with, then Pres. Bush must publicly relieve them immediately while making sure all understand that the reason is that US national security demands that petty turf squabbles will be a thing of the past.

Ridge must act decisevly ans the President must back him up - we are at war.

[Stultis]

This is kind of wild speculation on my part, but...

What if all these reports leaking out about terrorist cells in the U.S. being release by Al-Qaeda for independent action are completely false disinformation? Maybe we have more information than we are letting on about the remaining cells, but can't arrest and hold the people, so we are trying to get them to think that Binny wants them to move now as a way of smoking them out, getting them to ramp up something we can arrest them for?

This is damn risky but there would be lots of benefits as well. Think of the terrorists out there in the U.S. reading the press reports and thinking to themselves, "I didn't get the word on this". This may cause them to try to contact overseerers, or those who they might think belong to other cells, etc. That kind of activity could generate alot of valuable intel for us.

Am I crazy, or sane enough that I should delete this message?

[Capt.YankeeMike]

'nother fine example of our studious and diligent (NOT!) leos at work. good job men, way to go....

[princess leah]

Might be a good time to start a pig farm and hang a billboard on top of your roof with a huge photo of Porky Pig! Then, you might want to consider that vacation trip!

[Chapita]

It is of special interest to read the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero regarding the danger of internal subversion. In a speech to the Roman Senate, as recorded by Sallust, Cicero said: "A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious.But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly against the city. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victim, and he wears their face and their garments and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared. The traitor is the plague."

[wjcsux]

Probably let loose by a Federal judge that is a Clintoon appointee.

[Walkin Man]

This is kind of wild speculation on my part, but...

Hey, who knows, you may be right. I'd like to think that those in charge are not stupid enough to release possible terrorists with maps of nuclear plants on them.

[Walkin Man]

For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victim, and he wears their face and their garments and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared. The traitor is the plague."

You must be talking about Bill Clinton, right?

[Chapita]

How did you guess? Ha!

[little-e]

The ACLU can stuff it...as far as I'm concerned these people have NO rights...they are freakin terrorists.....

[Squantos]

They had me till they mentioned "Box-Cutter's".......

Stay Safe !

[Dixie Mom]

Everything I have seen says "midwest". Anyone have an idea on location of the original stop?

I searched some midwestern media sources, but couldn't find anything that appeared to be related. I would think we would have heard something here on FR from an alert FReeper if it had been publicized to any extent at the original location. This additional info is from a Miami Herald article posted earlier:

It could not be learned in what state the six men were stopped or how they aroused suspicion. It was not known if their true identities matched those on the passports, or why the FBI was not releasing their names or descriptions.

[OldFriend]

WABC radio news at noon, here in New York said the entire story was untrue!!!!! No men hence, no reaction. Beware the media and their hate america agenda.

[JD86]

A spokesman for the INS called the report unfounded. "We have absolutely no information at this point in time to substantiate that story," said INS spokesman Russ Bergeron.
It could not be learned in what state the six men were stopped or how they aroused suspicion. It was not known if their true identities matched those on the passports, or why the FBI was not releasing their names or descriptions.

Thanks for the link to the Miami paper. Does this sound like a hoax to anyone else? the only names that are reported are the people denying the story ie Russ Bergeron. The rest of the information is from unnamed sources.

[culpeper]

Hopefully they wrote the names down.

[JD86]

I thought I smelled a rat.

[culpeper]

Hopefully they wrote the names down.

[Minty]

Today is not my day. I am going into meltdown any time. Between this and the Kathie Couric show with the hanging Chads return I am not able to think straight. This is so absurd!

[Dixie Mom]

During his press conference in the last hour, Ashcroft claimed no knowledge of the story and stated that the only thing accurate in the article was the description of his reaction, had it been true.