Posted on 03/05/2002 2:27:35 PM PST by jmp702
U.S. Deports Israelis Amid Warnings of Espionage Activities
By Ted Bridis Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 5, 2002
WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities have arrested and deported dozens of young Israelis since early last year who represented themselves as art students in efforts to gain access to sensitive federal office buildings and the homes of government employees, U.S. officials said.
A draft report from the Drug Enforcement Administration - which first characterized the activities as suspicious - said the youths' actions "may well be an organized intelligence-gathering activity."
Immigration officials deported them for visa violations; no criminal espionage charges were filed.
The arrests, made in an unspecified number of major U.S. cities from California to Florida, came amid public warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies about suspicious behavior by people posing as Israeli art students and "attempting to bypass facility security and enter federal buildings."
The Israelis were arrested and deported on charges of working in the United States without authorization or overstaying visits on tourist visas, said Russ Bergeron, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington. He described dozens of arrests since early 2001 but gave no exact figures.
The DEA report said a majority of the students questioned by U.S. investigators acknowledged having served in military intelligence, electronic signals interception or explosive ordnance units in the Israeli military. The DEA said one person questioned was the son of a two-star Israeli general, one had served as the bodyguard to the head of the Israeli Army and another served in a Patriot missile unit.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yaffa Ben-Ari said it was "nonsense" that the students were spying on the United States.
Another Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Irit Stopper, confirmed that a few Israelis posing as art students were expelled from the United States for working without permits. However they were not accused of espionage, she said. She did not say how many Israelis were expelled and did not give any additional details.
The DEA report was first obtained by a French Web site that specializes in intelligence news, Intelligenceonline.com, and confirmed Tuesday as authentic by DEA spokeswoman Rogene Waite in Washington. The Web site said 120 Israelis had been arrested.
"That these people are now traveling in the U.S. selling art seems not to fit their background," the report said.
An FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted there were no espionage charges filed against any of the individuals and that they had been deported. Asked whether any spying activity occurred, the official repeated that no charges had been filed.
A Justice Department official, also asking not to be publicly identified, said investigators have been aware of some "alleged linkage" between the students and alleged espionage activities in the United States since early 2001, and said authorities have made arrests in Dallas, Chicago, San Diego and in south Florida. INS spokesman Rodney Germain in Miami said five or six people were arrested in that area at least six months ago on immigration counts.
Although security experts at the DEA first characterized the youths' behavior as suspicious, and INS authorities later arrested them, the FBI typically investigates espionage cases in the United States.
The DEA report said that among U.S. sites apparently targeted was Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, home to the military's AWACS surveillance planes and the place where many of the nation's B-1 bombers are repaired. Investigators also said that one female art student went to the home of a worker for the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver to sell paintings and returned later to photograph the house, according to the report.
No one within the Justice Department has expressed concerns about the Israeli students possibly committing espionage, Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra said. The deputy U.S. attorney general, Larry Thompson, declined to discuss the arrests when asked about them during a news conference Tuesday.
The U.S. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, a federal agency, circulated a public warning in March 2001 urging employees to report contact with people describing themselves as Israeli art students.
"These individuals have been described as aggressive," the warning said. "They attempt to engage employees in conversation rather than giving a sales pitch."
Cooperation with Israel, a longtime key ally, is increasingly important in the U.S. war on terrorism.
AP-ES-03-05-02 1658EST
No, but someone from these threads has consistently taken the Islamic point of view and testified to being in Lebanon in the 1980s, with the other side and I remember our Marine were blown up. There are a select number of posters who keep magically (re)appearing on FR to spout the talking points of the Islamic (terrorist) world. Are you one of those few, those shameful, those anti-Marines ?
I might be wrong, but somehow I don't think you'd be spouting this non-sense if it had been dozens of Chinese or Arabs that had been deported.
Funny you should mention it. Where are the stories of all the Arabs being deported ? Who is leaking this draft (and subsequently trashed) memo to the French ?
Do you support all espionage against the USA or only the espionage that furthers the interests of Jews?
Do you support all Islamic terrorists, or just the ones the Saudi princes pay off ?
Anything for Israel, eh?
Anything for the evil one, eh ?
Not a chance. I have two anthrax sniffing dogs... although the spin is killing me..:)
Danny Lewin had dual citizenship (he was born in the USA and moved to Israel as a child, then returned to live in the USA as an American). He was on AA Flight 11. His Israeli citizenship was reported as soon as passenger lists became known. It is probable that he was the unfortunate "passenger from business class" whose throat was slit by Mohammed Atta, according to the transcript of the cell phone call from flight attendant Madeleine Sweeny. I don't know what sand dune your head was buried in.
Again, criticizing Jews and Israel doesn't automatically make one a terrorist or sympathetic to terrorists. Your claim is laughable.
I am an opponent of espionage against the USA, no matter who carries it out, even if it is carried out by Jews.
It sure is. I said there was no spy ring...I even used the word 'bogus.' Like you, I said it 'first' but I don't mind the FBI saying it now.
I can just see your tommorow's column Justin. 'FBI Almost Confirms Spy Story.' LOL!
Come on Shermy. You are not really Shermy. Fess' up now. There MUST be more to you than meets the eye....oy vey the 'the thot plickens....'
There are more than a few Islamic terrorist sympathizers floating around FR. I'm not laughing.
I am an opponent of espionage against the USA, no matter who carries it out, even if it is carried out by Jews.
Concur, and the biggest threat to our nation right now is the huge numbers of illegal and dangerous Islamic terrorist supporters and sleeper cells. But most of the IsraelHaters aren't at all concerned by that. One can tell from their posts ...
To be against Israel is to be against the USA because they are connected at the hip, like it or not. The Balfour Declaration happened. The formation of Israel happened. These "America First" nuts need to get over it.
We're never going to "get over it," as long as there are people like you out there who believe that American blood should be spilled defending Israel, or any other nation for that matter besides the good old USA.
Tell me something. Do you want your children or grand children to die defending Israel? If no, you're a hypocrite.
America First nutballs indeed.
By whom ? Doing what ? You wish it were so, do you believe the Islamic terrorist talking points about who was responsible for the September 11th attacks ?
Not too difficult. If we've had the dozen or two in detention for this long then the opportunities to pick out the effective ones wouldn't be too hard. Since our interests with them overlap to such a great degree and unlike China (in your example), Israel is our close ally, then it makes good sense to use their services. Heck, I'd have these kids over for dinner and maybe buy some of their art.
But I do agree with you to the extent that I do not want any foreigners in my country whether they are top level espionage all the way down to kids cutting their teeth, gathering intel while selling art. What concerns me more is the money being funneled from Saudi Arabia and other countries who wish to do us harm to some media front org's and moles in the upper echelons of government, intelligence and research. We've got some character on this thread who writes for antiwar.com. IMHO he's more of an enemy at this time in history than some kids from Israel selling art.
Oh you know, the kind of people that get off on Israeli babies dying and New York Jews jumping out of buildings. The adversary is probably the best translation you will ever know.
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