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Bay terror fears (Suspicious man on ferry)
The Examiner (SF) ^ | 06/12/2002 | Richard Byrne Reilly

Posted on 06/12/2002 4:38:25 PM PDT by MikeJ

A frightening sequence of events and clues gleaned by U.S. intelligence has some in law enforcement believing that a maritime terrorist attack against San Francisco could be imminent.

Local ferry operators became alarmed last week when someone described as Middle Eastern man boarded a ferry to Alcatraz but did not leave the boat when it reached the island. Instead, the man videotaped boat traffic and used a stopwatch to time the route.

"He got on the boat to go to the island, but never got off when the other tourists did. Instead, he asked unusual questions about the timing and frequency of the trips, all the while videotaping and using the stopwatch," a source told The Examiner.

The frequency of suspicious activity in San Francisco became apparent to the feds and local law enforcement in October when three men, described as Middle Eastern, boarded a ferry at Pier 41 for a trip to Alameda.

The boat's crew became alarmed when one of the men made his way to the upper deck to observe the captain piloting the ferry, another man used a stopwatch to time the route and a third man videotaped the Anchorage 9 terminal, a source said.

The crew noted the men did not appear interested in filming standard tourist attractions like bridges or other known sites. The report stated in part: "While it is not an overt act of terrorism, it is not (considered) normal passenger activity."

This was preceded by an alarming incident that occurred in Daly City on Oct. 20. Six Blue and Gold Fleet and Golden Gate Transit uniforms were stolen from a ferry employee's car, in addition to ferry schedules, maritime maps and a copy of the U.S. Coast Guard's Rules of the Road.

Anyone wearing the uniforms is automatically granted unlimited access to "all the ferry boats and buses in the Bay Area."

The employee told authorities the thieves didn't bother to take money or a cache of CDs left inside the car.

According to a report of the theft:

"Maybe it's nothing, but when you put it all together, it starts to add up," a source said.

An incident that occurred Oct. 8 still makes Erin Everett cringe with fear.

Everett, an employee at the St. Francis Yact Club, was approached by a man she described as Arabic who wanted to rent a large boat "to see the beautiful coast of California."

When Everett told the man the club wasn't in the business of renting boats, the man became agitated and insisted money wasn't a problem. He was willing to spend whatever it took, Everett recalled, to rent a large boat.

When Everett suggested he try Fisherman's Wharf, he said he never heard of it and abruptly left the office. He returned a few minutes later demanding directions to the popular tourist destination. Suspicious, Everett called the Coast Guard and FBI, who sent an agent the next morning to retrieve a security videotape of the man.

"He kept saying money wasn't a problem. I don't know what it means, but it was scary," Everett said.

Recent terrorist alerts by the Coast Guard, the FBI and the California Anti-Terrorism Warfare Center in Sacramento point to growing concerns among those in the intelligence community that a seaborne attack against the country is imminent.

The FBI contacted San Francisco Police Chief Fred Lau last week requesting information on The City's dive shops. The feds issued similar appeals to other law enforcement agencies situated near waterways or harbors.

Ferry operators told the Examiner of efforts to beef up security on their boats plying the Bay, saying crews are on the lookout for suspicious activity and that engine rooms and pilot houses are now sealed to the public. During the summer peak season, 4,000 people travel to Alcatraz every day.

"We have good reason to believe that something is being planned," said another law enforcement source. "When you begin putting pieces of the puzzle together, it starts to make sense."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dive; ferry; francisco; san; terrorists
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1 posted on 06/12/2002 4:38:25 PM PDT by MikeJ
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To: MikeJ
How dare they characterize these people as Arab or middle-eastern. Everyone knows that is racist. They are by definition, INNOCENT. Case closed. Continue on in ignorance, please.
2 posted on 06/12/2002 4:42:38 PM PDT by lawdude
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To: lawdude
"Maybe it's nothing, but when you put it all together, it starts to add up,"

Well, This IS Baghdad by the Bay, after all ...
3 posted on 06/12/2002 4:46:22 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge
"Suspicious man on ferry" is actually news in SF??????

Oh... never mind... ;0)

4 posted on 06/12/2002 4:49:31 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: MikeJ
They are so blatant it's contemptuous - they don't even fear us.
5 posted on 06/12/2002 4:51:21 PM PDT by Aria
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6 posted on 06/12/2002 4:51:40 PM PDT by Mo1
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To: MikeJ
Middle Eastern men. Can we assume they were:
+

7 posted on 06/12/2002 4:59:37 PM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Aria
Unbelievable!!! You would think that some of the tourists would have noticed and at least snapped off a couple of pics of the guy. Would it be asking too much if someone was even as bold as to try and engage this man in a conversation?
8 posted on 06/12/2002 4:59:50 PM PDT by TBall
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To: TBall
USS Cole-style attacks coming up.
9 posted on 06/12/2002 5:02:50 PM PDT by Shermy
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To: MikeJ
Was it in California where the ME men tried to buy 5 heavy duty ocean kayaks and became enraged when the dealer didn't have them in stock?
10 posted on 06/12/2002 5:05:21 PM PDT by dawn53
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To: MikeJ
Kick 'em all out!!! Every last one!!!
11 posted on 06/12/2002 5:10:20 PM PDT by quark
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To: MikeJ
Have long had a deep and settled conviction that Golden Gate will either be nuked or destroyed by a quake. I more strongly feel nuked. . . of course, a nuke could trigger a quake. . . for whatever use the added wham was. And I have a close stock broker friend living within sight of the bridge.
12 posted on 06/12/2002 5:11:19 PM PDT by Quix
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To: MikeJ
There's enough specifics in this post to make someone's skin crawl. They'd better be insisting on ID's with photos for all ferries, busses etc. and ignoring the ID aspect of the uniforms given that it's probably too expensive to flush all the old uniforms. Then again, getting nuked would be a bit expensive, too.

The actions reported are not . . . possibilities, folk. THEY WERE/ARE working to act out a major terrorist act there. No doubt. What does it take--neon skywriting for people to wake up there? From this distance, it sounds like the response has been rather feeble.

What will it take before more effective actions are taken in such situations? Sheesh! Perhaps lives there have become as cheap as they are in Asia? Well, if everyone believes that man is nothing more than a rat, a pidgeon or a radish to quote Skinner, I guess that's reasonable.

13 posted on 06/12/2002 5:14:59 PM PDT by Quix
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To: MikeJ
I bet this guy could not speak a lick of English, but was quite proficient at the ATM machine.
14 posted on 06/12/2002 5:16:00 PM PDT by TBall
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To: MikeJ
This reads like an old article. All the events described here occurred in October.
15 posted on 06/12/2002 5:18:08 PM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: MikeJ
What else is relative to the San Francisco area?
Uh...thinking...perhaps...Marin County...Johnny Taliban?

Marin County is just north of SF, across the Bay. Maybe Johnny Taliban suggested some "tourist" sites for his colleagues.



The City of Novato, California is the northernmost city in Marin County, approximately twenty-nine miles north of San Francisco and thirty-seven miles northwest of Oakland. Novato covers twenty-eight square miles
16 posted on 06/12/2002 5:19:28 PM PDT by TomGuy
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To: MikeJ
This seems like the Al Qaeda equivalent of 'casing the joint'. Meaning, getting a sense of the timings, IN CASE it becomes a target. It doesn't mean an attack is imminent. It does not mean it is not, either. It's probably been shelved now that suspicion has been raised. We can but only hope.
17 posted on 06/12/2002 6:08:14 PM PDT by TrappedInLiberalHell
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To: MikeJ;TomGuy
 
18 posted on 06/12/2002 6:14:33 PM PDT by First_Salute
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To: MikeJ
Just doing a search on "Middle Eastern Men Found at" here of FR produced an entire page of similiar events. These various reports clearly show that 'someone' is methodically making their way across the country all the while capturing this great land on film.

I am getting tired of seeing all of these stories, but am getting even more tired of hearing updates like 'they were on top of a water treatment plant filming the sunset'.

Pray that TPTB are keeping close records of situations like this...situations that all resemble each other much too close for comfort!
19 posted on 06/12/2002 6:19:02 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
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To: MikeJ;TBall;TomGuy

Gunnery; U.S.C.G.C. Rush (pic at www.hackworth.com, photo archives)
20 posted on 06/12/2002 6:19:25 PM PDT by First_Salute
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