Posted on 05/14/2002 8:25:51 AM PDT by Physicist
A national cable TV news flash yesterday about the arrest of possible terrorists on Whidbey Island sounded explosive:
The FBI and other federal agents were investigating two Middle Eastern men who were arrested in Oak Harbor last Tuesday after police found traces of TNT and plastic explosive in a rental truck they were driving, the Fox News Channel reported.
The fact that Oak Harbor is near Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, home of the electronic warfare Prowler jets, heightened concerns.
But the FBI said last night it had taken a pass on the case, handing it over to immigration officials after further tests for explosives.
"All were negative," said FBI spokeswoman Melissa Mallon.
The two men came to the attention of authorities when an Oak Harbor police officer stopped them shortly after midnight May 7.
"It was a minor speeding violation," said Oak Harbor police Sgt. Bill Russell.
The officer grew suspicious, however, when one of the men produced only an international driver's license and an expired visa and the other could show no ID at all, Russell said.
And while the men said they were in Oak Harbor only to deliver furniture and were on their way back home to Canada, the officer noted that it was after midnight -- an odd hour for such work.
A bomb-sniffing dog was called in.
According to some reports, the dog indicated that it smelled something interesting in the driver's side of the truck cab, though a search turned up nothing suspicious.
Fox reported that a follow-up test had revealed traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gearshift.
However, a law enforcement source told the Post-Intelligencer that the dog and the first round of tests may have picked up nothing more than residue left by a cigarette lighter.
Border Patrol agents took custody of the two men, who claimed to be Israeli citizens, for investigation of immigration violations.
Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, last night said he was uncertain about their status.
Whidbey Island residents have been vigilant about possible terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, largely because of the island's large military base and proximity to the border.
In the weeks after Sept. 11, Island County locals flooded emergency centers with reports of Canadian truckers who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, said Island County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith.
Smith said delivery trucks from British Columbia routinely pass through the island on their way to the ferry slip at Keystone, a short-cut to the Olympic Peninsula.
She said the trucks are inspected at the Canadian border and are presumed safe.
In October, Island County Sgt. Mike Beech said the reaction "just shows the effect of Sept. 11.
They may have seen that truck or trucker get off the ferry every day -- but now they are more aware of it."
So you jumped to a different conclusion from a different set of prejudices.
Indeed, as did the (more vicious because more tolerated) anti-Arab/anti-Muslim gang. Everyone saw the hobgoblin they were expecting to see.
There was immense excitement among messianists of the Israeli religious Right, and their American Christian counterparts.
So you see, when somone slimes and ridicules the religious beliefs of some Jews, they insult some Christians too. All-purpose religious bigotry, eh? Most religions have traditions that are odd to other folks. Eating wafers that are the body of Christ might seem odd to some. Not to me. I am the tolerant and respectful type. :)
Oh well, indeed.
Anyway, Canada, not Mexico, is the biggerr border problem with Islamist terror. Has been and will be. The Canadian govt regularly grants "asylum" to the terrorists, and Canada has become a big base for it. The Canadian lefties think these immigrants will eventually vote for them.
Neither Christianity nor Judaism are monolithic movements, and you are by no means their high priestess.
All-purpose religious bigotry, eh?
The last refuge of a tendentious, mendacious scoundrel.
The fact is, we are not talking about all Christians or all Jews, now are we? We are talking about small, extremist cults who think they can somehow speed up the eschatological timeline. And considering that the Christian nutballs and the Jewish nutballs expect somewhat different results - Jews expect the Messiah to appear, whereas Christians expect Christ to return, at which time the Jews will get to choose between converting to Christianity or getting tossed into the lake of fire - I seriously doubt that we are seeing a stable, long-term coalition here.
Mentioned in the story above.
This story ain't debunked yet.
That's not the point. The point is that the story hasn't been written yet. Right now, there's no story at all. And yet, here we have Freepers (all of whom ought to know better) saying, "see, you can't trust an Arab", arguing with others who are saying, "see, you can't trust an Israeli".
Stories like these are mirrors in which some can only see their own convictions.
These are extreme times. Failure to "speculate" as to what can happen, can lead to that very thing happening, although I am powerless to stop them, others are'nt.
I applaud the LEO for recogizing a potential threat in form of suspicious activity, and further applaud the bomb dog action....even though the dog appears to have been wrong, had the dog been right, we would'nt be having this thread right now and the LEO would be cheered a "hero" for going on a "hunch".
As for my Tin Hat about Mossad, I'll say it differently. Only a fool would belive that Israel could refrain from such activity. The U.S. is capable of doing the same thing in other nations to acheive any goal the powers that be deem worthy of "covert" operations, IMHO.
No it doesn't. And if it did, I'd start a special F.R. fundraising drive to have it removed.
It was there. What happened? I see a conspiracy thread coming.
I see several. I'm gettin' a headache in advance of the onslaught.
And if you believe everything the PI writes, you might want to be careful when making fun of others.
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