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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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To: Shermy
including a half dozen drivers’ licenses from several states “with different identities on them.”

tip of the iceberg. Here in Sacramento, a gang was running a "license factory" in plain view in the parking lot of a strip mall. They even had regular business hours and used minors to hold the parking spots for their custormers only which was ruining the businesses in the mall. The police allowed them to operate for over a year while they "investigated". Thousands of fake licenses (driver's and SS) were generated during this "investigation".

21 posted on 02/12/2002 9:21:11 PM PST by cinFLA
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To: Shermy
Glad they were picked up by the FBI. When are the liberals going to understand that to not profile is naive, ludicrous even?

We see profiling in nature all the time. Does a lion charge after a gazelle? No, he leaves that prey for the cheetahs. Why? Because it's a waste of energy trying to catch one; the lion profiles. Example after example tells us that to profile is to survive.

Profile muslims. Law abiding muslims will simply have to understand that a sizeable percentage of their ilk are western civilization-hating mongrels, and that they will be "sized up" during their everyday routine.

The 9-11 attack (NOT a tragedy) and the subsequent "round-up" of muslims will hopefully teach some lessons that the PC crowd is ill advised to ignore about life, human nature and sociology.

Meanwhile, I hope the muslims with the tow truck and the fake ID's go free. Yes, let them... and have the NSA/CIA/FBI tail their every move to find the bigger fish so that they can all be shot in a raid at the "safe-house".

22 posted on 02/12/2002 9:21:33 PM PST by RightlySo
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To: Shermy
Any moment, the "well, ID's are unconstitutional anyway, and you have no reason to think they are up to no good - stop the fascism!" crowd will rear its ugly head.
23 posted on 02/12/2002 9:21:40 PM PST by Senator Pardek
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To: Rain-maker
Steal an armored van for bomb delivery?

I believer Ryder is the terrorist's truck of choice. They've certainly been good performers for them. Seriously though I can't imagine what advantage an aromored van or truck would have for bomb delivery. The things don't have all that much load carrying capacity, since they are pretty weighed down with the armor and such. I don't know, maybe an armored truck would shield radiation from the contents better, although I doubt the differance if any would be enough to bother with. OTOH, the tow truck itself could have use in towing something heavy, as a low tech device might be. I guess you could build a daisy cutter (nothing high tech about them, they're just heavy) what appeared to be something a tow truck might be hauling, and then drop it off somewhere you don't like, and hope the timer works better than the one McViegh was involved with.

24 posted on 02/12/2002 9:24:51 PM PST by El Gato
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To: newblood
Require all illegals to get out of the country in one month; provide for travel expenses if necessary.

Who would pick our lettuce?

25 posted on 02/12/2002 9:24:59 PM PST by Texas Eagle
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To: newblood
After one month, shoot ALL ILLEGALS ON SITE. Problem solved!

How do you tell on sight who the illegals are? Sounds like a receipt for "Your papers please".

26 posted on 02/12/2002 9:26:37 PM PST by El Gato
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To: Shermy
There's a smoking gun if I ever did see one. The wercker driver said the woman's car was barely damaged by the crash and the fire started in the pasenger area. She was burned to a crisp. Sounds like a hit, bomb and run.
27 posted on 02/12/2002 9:29:08 PM PST by oyez
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Comment #28 Removed by Moderator

To: Texas Eagle
Lettuce do it instead?
29 posted on 02/12/2002 9:31:50 PM PST by ThreePantherEightyDuce
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To: Texas Eagle
Yep.

I think a lot of people would be a bit taken aback by having no fruits or vegetables in their supermarkets in the winter. And every hotel in the country shutting down.

Our society as we know it wouldn't function without illegals.

30 posted on 02/12/2002 9:32:25 PM PST by John H K
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To: Shermy
Cover business. They're big into transportation services.

Exactamundo. It's called "cover for action".

Trooper: "What the hell you boys doing down here? Didn't you see that restricted sign up there?"

Arab: "We get call on cell phone, man with Cadiallac has broken down, needs tow. He say come here, now he is gone."

Very plausible ready made cover story to be anywhere snooping around, and testing security and access for the possible truck bomb route.

31 posted on 02/12/2002 9:32:37 PM PST by Travis McGee
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To: _Jim
They could have been looking for a vehicle to tow that had a pentagon parking pass.

Get the right vehicle with the right pass and then go to work.

32 posted on 02/12/2002 9:33:23 PM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig
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Comment #33 Removed by Moderator

To: _Jim
Sure they could be legit. That's the point of good cover for action, it has to 'stand up' as legit.

The "we're just crooks" is also a ready made "fall back cover" if the primary does not stand up to scrutiny.

34 posted on 02/12/2002 9:35:09 PM PST by Travis McGee
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To: big ern
bttt
35 posted on 02/12/2002 9:36:21 PM PST by Travis McGee
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To: big ern
Bingo!
36 posted on 02/12/2002 9:37:00 PM PST by SubMareener
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Comment #37 Removed by Moderator

To: Shermy
Kudos to the Virginia State Police. I remember seeing them patrolling that area heavily--especially in the morning to catch drivers coming off the HOV lanes with fewer than the required occupants or in the evening after drinkers become drivers.

Why were they driving a tow truck?? Very handy for carting off ATM machines, breaking into gun stores, pulling open burglar bars, store doors, heisting vehicles, etc. Think the cops made the right call in raising the flag on this one.

38 posted on 02/12/2002 9:44:37 PM PST by Skybird
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To: Shermy
Dumb luck saves somebody's ass again. Let's see if we take into consideration the number of terrorists that are apprehended due to shear chance .... how many does that leave out there to move freely, at will .... doing whatever? I would guess at least 1000 to 1. At the bare minimum.
39 posted on 02/12/2002 9:45:26 PM PST by mercy
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To: JD86
and your explanation for the multiple IDs?

Democrat voter?

40 posted on 02/12/2002 9:46:02 PM PST by lowbridge
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