[TheOtherOne]

Federal agents take custody of Afghan man stopped near Reading  

READING, Pa. (AP) - An Afghan man in the country illegally was arrested in Reading and whisked away to Philadelphia by federal agents, police said.

Mohomad Omar Popal, of Kabul, Afghanistan, had been wanted by federal authorities since 1997, police said. He was stopped by an Exeter Township officer on Saturday while driving toward Philadelphia, about 50 miles away.

Popal was in federal custody Sunday and could not be reached for comment; it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer. Immigration and Naturalization Service agents declined to comment; an FBI spokeswoman said Sunday evening that she had no information on the matter.

Patrolman Kurt E. Unterkoefler said he arrested Popal after the U.S. Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force in Washington, D.C., informed him that the man has been wanted since 1997. He told police he has been living in Reading.

Two INS agents went to Exeter from their headquarters in Philadelphia upon learning that Popal was there, Unterkoefler said.

"We usually take INS detainees before a district justice and they sit in Berks County Prison until the INS picks them up," Unterkoefler said. "In my experience it was very unusual for them to say they were coming right out for this guy."

The agents searched Popal's truck, which appeared to be loaded with about a dozen cases of soda, Unterkoefler said. He said he found several car batteries, adhesive solvents and electrical wiring under the soda.

"When I saw a Middle Eastern man driving a heavily loaded pickup towards Limerick (nuclear power plant) I became a little suspicious," Unterkoefler said. "The bumper was almost touching the ground."

He said the truck posed a traffic hazard and that the vehicle's registration had expired. Popal presented an expired international driving permit that listed his home address as Kabul, Unterkoefler said.

[He Rides A White Horse]

When I saw a Middle Eastern man driving a heavily loaded pickup towards Limerick (nuclear power plant) I became a little suspicious," Unterkoefler said.

Uh oh, the heinous crime of profiling. Wonder if he'll get fired /sarcasm

[Catspaw]

Smart cop and good arrest.

Al Qaeda is still here, and turn up in the most unexpected places.

And no wonder security around nuke plants is tighter than a tick.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Popal presented an expired international driving permit that listed his home address as Kabul, Unterkoefler said.

There are a number of interesting details in this story : Like

international driving permit

The agents searched Popal's truck, which appeared to be loaded with about a dozen cases of soda, Unterkoefler said. He said he found several car batteries, adhesive solvents and

electrical wiring under the soda.

Now if the soda happened to be filled with gasoline and the soda bottles were plastic.

Any way to make a bomb out of that?

[Bella]

Two INS agents went to Exeter from their headquarters in Philadelphia upon learning that Popal was there, Unterkoefler said.

Exeter is about 20min from me!--ugh!

[agrandis]

Car batteries, wire, and adhesive solvent is a disturbing cargo for an illegal from Afhghanistan to be carrying. I say it i 99.99% certain he was up to no good, and what he had in mind were explosions, of one size or another, set off by ignitors, of one degree of sophistication or another.

Were the cases of soda just to attempt to cover up the other contents, or were they for him and comrades who were working outside in the heat?

[SamAdams76]

A dude named Mohomad was speeding
Towards a nuclear plant out near Reading
The license expired
and the car was found wired
72 virgins he soon will be needing

[elfman2]

" He said the truck posed a traffic hazard and that the vehicle's registration had expired. Popal presented an expired international driving permit that listed his home address as Kabul, Unterkoefler said."

These "sleepers" are real masters of disguise!