Los Angeles: Suspicious Vehicle Being Tracked; Possible Explosives Onboard.

FoxNews breaking report (cable) | June 23, 2003

[TomGuy]

Authorities in California were notified to be on the lookout for a suspicious truck possibly carrying explosives. Truck may have been stopped in Los Angeles area.

Developing.....

from San Bernadino Sun.com

Crime and Public Safety
By Staff Reports


SAN BERNARDINO: Call triggers CHP search for big rig

The California Highway Patrol continued searching Sunday for a dark green tractor-trailer supposedly filled with explosives and on its way to the Burbank Airport.

The lookout was based on an anonymous call made to the CHP's Barstow office Saturday afternoon, said Officer Brian Joy of the CHP's Los Angeles communications center.

Based on the call, Joy said, the green trailer is about 50 feet long and is being pulled by a tractor-truck of unknown color. According to the caller, the tractor-trailer is traveling from Texas and is expected to be in Burbank this morning, Joy said.

Other than that, information was scarce, Joy said.

"We have no idea of the validity of this,' he said.

Joy could not verify or dispute reports that there is a faded logo beneath the trailer's paint reading "picture perfect, pictures are fine.''

[dogbyte12]

Barstow is exactly middle between LA and Vegas. Alot of people stop off there to eat, stretch their legs when they drive to Vegas.

[mhking]

truckers coming from Texas would not use either of those Interstates.

That's not necessarily true; trucks coming from the Texas panhandle actually would use I-40; it runs straight west from Amarillo...

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

Looks like they want you to pay for FTP space.

[blam]

Thanks for the post. My son lives in Glendora.

[cardinal4]

What's weird about this story is the Barstow connection....that town is on I-15 and 40; truckers coming from Texas would not use either of those Interstates.

Good point.

[ErnBatavia]

You're right - the "via Albuquerque" route....

[socal_parrot]

If the bomb laden truck was coming from Amarillo, Texas, 40 would be the highway of choice.

[ewing]

And that the next Al Qaeda target is a media company that serves the American interest..something to do with 'Eagle' (their words in the London Muslim papers)

[mhking]

And that the next Al Qaeda target is a media company that serves the American interest..something to do with 'Eagle' (their words in the London Muslim papers)

CBS? (he said hopefully)

[doug from upland]

SSAF president Nick Ashton and I met with Burbank officials near the end of 2002 to discuss protecting their glass. They may have taken a lower bid from another company with an inferior product. I hope they don't find out that they made a mistake. The truck really wouldn't need a great deal of explosives to set off that tank farm of jet fuel. They could pull off such a job with an MG Midget. In Bali, there was broken glass over 500 yards from the bomb. With all that jet fuel, people within hundreds of yards of that scene may have a problem. Terrorists love glass. We interviewed a guy who lost his leg in the early '70s when a bomb went off in an LAX locker. To this day he still has some glass in his body.

[dogbyte12]

Ok, it's been a good hour and a half since police investigated the trailer. Did they find bupkis or what?

[Flyer]

If I recally my Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas correctly

You can recall passages from Fear and Loathing? You must have just read it and not used it as a primer for living.

[Xenalyte]

Oddly enough, I've only read it once - but I've seen the movie at least a dozen times.

[Ditter]

Look at this, it is supposed to have come from Texas.

[freeperfromnj]

From linked article:

Earlier this month, NEWSWEEK has learned, U.S. intelligence intercepted chat-room conversations between suspected Qaeda associates about attacks in Texas around the Fourth of July. One of the operatives, known only as “Sakr,” said the attacks had been planned for a long time and that the terror-ists were simply waiting for approval from “the sheik” —a possible reference to Osama bin Laden or another top Qaeda commander. No specific targets were mentioned, but law-enforcement officials tell NEWSWEEK they believe the objective may be to take out oil facilities or pipelines.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/929752.asp

[freeperfromnj]

Did they find bupkis or what?

It was downgraded from a terror threat to a labor dispute.

Police Investigate Suspicious Big Rig Near Airport - No Explosives Found

UPDATED: 8:02 a.m. PDT June 23, 2003

BURBANK, Calif. -- Authorities on Monday investigated a suspicious big rig parked near the Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport, after receiving an anoymous tip that may have stemmed from a labor dispute.

No explosives were found, according to authorities.

The big rig was south of San Fernando Road on the Los Angeles border near the northwest section of the airport. It was parked at the gate of a so-called fuel farm where tens of thousands of gallons of aircraft fuel is stored.

There were no specific threats made against Burbank Airport, airport spokesman Victor Gill said earlier Monday morning.

Some Metrolink lines were closed but they have now been reopened, according to NBC4.

The investigation began about 4 a.m. and bomb-sniffing dogs were sent into the trailer bed about 2½ hours later.

"At this time, the driver is being 100 percent cooperative... This may stem from a labor dispute somewhere ... We have LAPD Bomb squad that is investigating the truck and its contents ... At this time, we've opted not to make any evacuationd until we can do further investigations ... At this time, Burbank Airport is not being closed. ... We're going to take as much time as needed ... at least two to three hours," LAPD Lt. Art Miller told NBC4.

FeedRoom

Search For Explosives On Truck

Authorities have been on alert for a big rig since the California Highway Patrol in Barstow received an anonymous telephone call Sunday afternoon, CHP Officer Brian Joy said Sunday. The man told authorities that a big rig towing a 50-foot green trailer was on its way to the Burbank airport and would probably arrive sometime Monday.

The caller was in an unknown location in Texas. He said he used to work with the driver of the big rig and that the motive "had to do with the war on terrorism," CHP Commissioner Spike Helmick said Sunday.

The north-south runway closure did not stop air traffic, which was diverted to the east-west runway. About 3,000 southbound train passengers would continue their travel into Los Angeles by bus.

[Poohbah]

Someone is about to get b***-f***ed by Uncle Sam for making phony interstate bomb alerts.

[L`enn]

Unless they wanted a grand ole sendoff in Vegas before the big event.

[hchutch]

Oh, yeah. That had better happen, especially if they did so to mess up that guy's life.

[John H K]

This may stem from a labor dispute somewhere ...

Was my guess but I didn't bother to post, oh well :-)