Posted on 06/16/2002 7:59:05 AM PDT by Libloather
Questions, ammo land felon in jail
Sunday, June 16, 2002 5:58AM EDT
From Staff And Wire Reports
FAYETTEVILLE - A convicted felon was in custody Saturday awaiting a detention hearing after federal authorities arrested him for allegedly carrying bomb-making materials and asking about security at Fort Bragg.
Antonio Olmeda, 43, of Shirley, N.Y., was arrested at a bus station in Fayetteville on Thursday after a man, whom authorities have not named, called a State Bureau of Investigation agent Wednesday to report that a suspicious man had asked him directions, then asked about security at Fort Bragg. Olmeda asked the man whether the military base had gates and whether it was guarded by military police, authorities said.
Authorities found ammunition, fireworks and bomb components in a black vinyl bag Olmeda had been carrying, said Tim Flynn, the FBI supervisory agent in Wilmington.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms charged Olmeda with being a convicted felon possessing ammunition. On Friday, a federal judge ordered him held until a detention hearing set for Wednesday.
The Fayetteville Observer reported Olmeda was charged in 1994 with having "18 pipe bombs, 10 loaded magazines for a machine gun, 1,000 rounds of ammunition, a backpack with a flame-thrower, coffee cans filled with either gunpowder or fireworks powder, a steel-plated vest and neck protector and bullet-resistant helmets" in his van.
New York state criminal records indicate Olmeda was convicted in 1995 of a felony and could have been sentenced to 20 to 60 months' imprisonment. It was unclear whether the conviction was for the arsenal found in his van.
SBI investigators found Olmeda with the help of rental car records from Affordable Rentals on Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville.
Warren Cornell, the manager of the business, said Olmeda rented a Plymouth Neon on Monday and returned it on Thursday.
SBI agents contacted Affordable Rentals on Wednesday and asked them to notify them when Olmeda returned the car.
Cornell said Olmeda "acted like just a normal customer. It was pretty uneventful. He pretty much rented a car like anyone else does."
The Fayetteville Observer and staff researcher Toby Lyles contributed to this report
Is the current 'awkward period' over ... finally? (too late to work within The System but too early to shoot the bastards?)
I really would like to suggest to the authorities in Fayetteville that this idiot's photo should be posted and mosques members questioned to whether or not he is known by them. He might be another Padilla.
I did a search on the culprit's last name (Olmeda). One of the things that came up was (La Guadia Bombing.com)Dec 29, 1975 which says that has never been solved.
There was a Port Authority Police Patrolman by the name of Robert Olmeda just beginning his patrol when the bombing happened. Could Antonio be a relative????
Okay I will continue to research. But if ya'll hear anything please ping me.We need a photo of Antonio. What is his age?
How about a can of beans? Can be used to make a flammable gas, although harvesting the gas is a little awkward.
According to the fedgov, being in posession of pipe and gunpowder i.e. components for a pipe bomb is a crime.
When I was a kid we could buy cherry bombs and M80 firecrackers. These have been classified as "destructive devices" (bombs) by the fedgov.
Chances are this guy was up to no good. I simply suggest that you mentally fast forward the tape of government prevention versus protection and see where the prevention side ultimately leads.
Regards
J.R.
So is this strange, or what? One is left to really wonder exactly what this man was intending on accomplishing.
I don't know, but it doesn't sound quite right.
One thing's for sure, "Antonio Olmeda" was a little late if he was planning on a big Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Takes a minute or so to load.
LOL, not enough of 'em left!!
Forget about the firecrackers. Every house has enough components to make a bomb. BATF often uses, and get convictions on, "bomb components" in cases where there is not a single gun, bullet, or stick of explosives involved. A BATF agent once bragged to me that he could convict every person in the country on "components".
Got a can of gas for your lawnmower? That's a bomb component, if BATF says so.
Are you even capable of comprehending the point I was making? The subject at issue is ballistic-resistant vests and helmets.
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