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Two Middle East men arrested outside Pentagon - Fake drivers’ licenses spur troopers to call in FBI
MSNBC.com ^ | February 12, 2002

Posted on 02/12/2002 9:06:27 PM PST by Shermy

NBC News has learned that the FBI has arrested two men of Middle Eastern background who were driving Monday night outside the Pentagon in a tow truck. The FBI is investigating the men to see if they have any terrorist connections.

LUCY CALDWELL, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, told NBC News that state troopers pulled the men over Monday at 10:05 p.m. as they were driving on Route 110 by the Pentagon. Commercial vehicles, including tow trucks, have been prohibited from using that road since November, Caldwell said. She added that the men ignored a trooper who was trying to signal them to pull over their truck. A second trooper down the highway was able to get them to stop. He searched the truck and found numerous false identification cards, Caldwell said, including a half dozen drivers’ licenses from several states “with different identities on them.” Once the trooper saw the fake IDs, he called in the FBI.

Virginia state police have charged the men, whose names were not released, with traffic violations and possession of false identification. The FBI interviewed them at length Tuesday and, federal law enforcement sources say, still are trying to establish who they are. The sources say they expect the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to file federal charges Wednesday against the men in the U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria, Va.

The men were not armed. Bomb-sniffing dogs searched the truck, but found no explosives or explosive residue, Caldwell said.

The arrest took place just two hours after the FBI announced its latest terrorist warning Monday night. The FBI warned the public that an attack might be planned for as early as Tuesday and told the American public to be on the lookout for a Yemeni man and 16 alleged associates.

Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday urged the nation to be on “the highest state of alert.”

[more on other suspects from other places at link]


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: terrorwar; virginia
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1 posted on 02/12/2002 9:06:27 PM PST by Shermy
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To: Shermy
Tow truck? Rather odd, anyone care to speculate what muslims with fake ID's would do with a tow truck?

Steal an armored van for bomb delivery?

2 posted on 02/12/2002 9:10:35 PM PST by Rain-maker
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To: Shermy
Sounds fishy to me. How stupid could they be. don't answer. I hear that we are also on alert tomarrow. Haven't heard it on the news or anything but I work for an airline and heard it at work today.
3 posted on 02/12/2002 9:11:42 PM PST by GUIDO
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To: Shermy
BTTT
4 posted on 02/12/2002 9:12:27 PM PST by ImphClinton
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To: Rain-maker
Cover business. They're big into transportation services.
5 posted on 02/12/2002 9:13:01 PM PST by Shermy
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To: Shermy
Bump
6 posted on 02/12/2002 9:13:29 PM PST by Ronin
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To: Shermy
Was it a tow truck or one of those "suck-up" trucks?

More likely they were going to repossess a vehicle - or were 'shopping' for one ...

7 posted on 02/12/2002 9:14:13 PM PST by _Jim
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To: Fred Mertz; archy; Grampa Dave; Blood of Tyrants
Yet another "ping."
8 posted on 02/12/2002 9:14:23 PM PST by Shermy
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Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: homeschool mama
Ping to ya
11 posted on 02/12/2002 9:16:12 PM PST by Brad’s Gramma
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: ImphClinton
The late night denizen here might not know about the threads regading the lady who sold Tennessee drivers licenses to Arab males, was charged, then a few days later found dead in a very suspicious auto accident: in one of the cars one of the Arabs bought for her. Here's one:

Feds fear license examiner is dead - Memphis Woman's co-defendants tied to 9/11, judge told

14 posted on 02/12/2002 9:17:48 PM PST by Shermy
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To: boston_liberty
and your explanation for the multiple IDs?
15 posted on 02/12/2002 9:17:59 PM PST by JD86
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To: Shermy
only 1/2 dozen different identities on several state licenses that are fake? ... hmmm ... probably nothing ... nothing to see here ... move along ... they just be on a tourist visa ... yeah, that's the ticket ...
16 posted on 02/12/2002 9:18:33 PM PST by Bobby777
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To: doug from upland
Here.
17 posted on 02/12/2002 9:19:11 PM PST by Brad’s Gramma
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To: Shermy
He searched the truck and found numerous false identification cards, Caldwell said, including a half dozen drivers’ licenses from several states “with different identities on them.” Once the trooper saw the fake IDs, he called in the FBI.

"You don't understand, officer, I'm not a terrorist, I can explain. You see, ever since I was little, my hobby has been collecting false identification papers. When I was just a little boy in Cairo, I used to make my own passports out of construction paper, my mother thought they were so cute, she hung them on the refrigerator. When I was in high school, I learned how to slip my picture into real drivers' licenses that had been stolen--it's very difficult, you know. It's a demanding hobby, but very rewarding, uh... hey! look behind you, it's Osama bin Laden!!" (runs away as fast as he can)

18 posted on 02/12/2002 9:19:11 PM PST by xm177e2
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To: Shermy
Could they have been planning to use TOW missiles perhaps?
20 posted on 02/12/2002 9:20:40 PM PST by ThreePantherEightyDuce
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