[arkady_renko]

Just a heads-up.

A_R

[goodnesswins]

"Dozens of the tanks have disappeared from businesses in Burbank, Evanston and Oak Lawn over the last month or so."

DOZENS? How big are THESE tanks?

[palmer]

Could just be the high price of propane ($1.87 last time I got filled)

[cake_crumb]

The thefts might be due to the economy and the long, hard winter...but they do make excellent bombs.

[cricket]

"The Burbank theft may have been the most intriguing to police: Eight tanks were stolen from a convenience store where Nabil al-Marabh was arrested by the FBI on Sept. 19, 2001. His name was on a U.S. terrorist watch list."

. . .Don't these stores have cameras so that they would know more than the fact that these cannisters have just disappeared?

[JustPiper]

Thanx !How big are these tanks any clue? There are so many Arabs here, they all have white vans. There are mosques here on every corner it seems. Also any clue where they might use these tanks? They had said blowing my gas stations. Well, then again when I am housebound, I need to then see them hauling something out my window.

[SavageRepublican]

Here in Missouri, people steal tanks (usually the bigger ones - 250 gal or maybe a 500) to use in the production of methamphetamine.

I used to work in the home office of a fuel company that sold propane, and we always had problems with tanks reported missing.

I'm not saying that's what happened to the Chicago tanks, but I thought it was interesting.

Any of those things could be made into a hell of a bomb pretty easily. Scary thought.

[APBaer]

We here at Strickland Propane are keeping an eye out!

[mbynack]

FYI - Terrorists in Germany used propane tanks and fire extinguishers filled with explosives during the 1980's. I remember one at Ramstein AB in 1985 that was built from a 20 lb tank.

[virgil]

Maybe we can expect a chain of apartment building blasts?