Posted on 05/20/2004 11:32:31 PM PDT by trifona
May 20, 2004 -- The Big Story on Action News is word of suspicious activity along train tracks in our area, and the discovery of a wireless transmitter that seemed to be carefully hidden in the gravel under some tracks in Philadelphia.
Needless to say, this has attracted some peoples' attention. While authorities do not want to unnecessarily scare commuters, they say that after terrorist train attacks in Madrid Spain, they are taking all suspicious activity on rail lines seriously. Of most concern is the discovery of that wireless transmitter on a SEPTA rail line.
Action News has learned that last week SEPTA police recovered an infrared sensor that was carefully concealed along SEPTA's track bed near 34th and Powelton. The device, a commercially available wireless infrared transmitter made for home security use was discovered spray-painted black and tucked neatly in the trackside ballast. Such devices transmit a signal when something cuts across their infrared beam. And while there is no indication of any specific threat, investigators are concerned because the sensor has the potential to be used as a triggering device. The FBI is now investigating the discovery.
Jerri Williams/FBI SPOKESPERSON:
"We don't know why its there, what the purpose was and that's why we're investigating . At this time, we have no reason to believe there's a nexus to terrorism but of course we wanna be careful, we want to protect the public, and so we're investigating." Meanwhile, the New Jersey attorney general's office is investigating at least 7 instances in the last week of suspicious surveillance activity along Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuter rail lines between Philadelphia, Trenton and New York." Peter Harvey/N.J. ATTORNEY GENERAL:
"The activities ranges from persons walking under a train trestle and filming it to persons trying to enter parking garages adjacent to train rail tracks or train stations filming those parking garages as well as filming the rail stations themselves." According to ABC News, the separate incidents in addition to other activity along rail lines between New York, Philadelphia and Washington has triggered concern among federal authorities in Washington prompting a massive counter surveillance operation. By coincidence these developments come as the Department of Homeland Security announced a series of new mandatory security measures on rail lines including the use of canine explosive teams to screen passenger baggage, terminals and trains. Meanwhile, you may remember a year ago when Action News told you about one man Hany Hasanin. Tapes obtained by Action News show Hany appearing to embark on a mission to make a roadmap of the Delaware Valley taking pictures of a public water supply and a PECO power station. He was arrested by Amtrak police taking pictures of 30th Street Station but he was deported back to Egypt before the FBI could questioned him. To this day, he has not been located.
Security is already being stepped up due to the presidential conventions in New York and Boston, and threats that an attack could be launched before the November election. Again, there is no specific threat to any local rail line, but officials are taking any possibility very seriously.
Dann Cuellar, Channel 6 Action News. Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Considering that the Israelis are incredibly used to these bombers and still fall victim to them, we here are totally defenseless against them.
To continue your speculation:
5/11
"A masked man had read out a statement before the killing which was signed off with the name of Zarqawi and dated May 11."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1133477/posts
The Philly and NYC track corridors get constant maintainence of way operations that include observation of track, ties, signaling equipment and -- significant in this case: ballast inspection. A black painted rook would deiniftely stand out in the gray slate ballast.
I don't find this suprising at all. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of cells in this country ready to go. The bad thing is that the Feds won't do anything about keeping them out and if there is an attack the Feds are going to make life miserable for the honest citizens of this country. I'm betting something big is going to happen this summer.
As long as we keep our borders open and don't do a damn thing about the suspected terrorist cells that are in the US we deserve whatever happens to us.
A blind man listens carefully before he walks into an intersection. We have our eyes and ears covered 24 hours a day. The average citizen is doing more to protect America than the government is doing.
Getting in some practice - a training exercise for terrorists.
Traffic counting for a school project?
Bury it for later pickup?
Of course not. This is a perfectly normal occurence. Nothing to see here. < /sarcasm >
It wouldn't surprise me if they were hoping for another attack just so they could blame Bush for not doing enough. Never mind that they've hobbled him every step of the way and have prevented the people from knowing what's really going on. Of course, there is always the possibility that another attack might just backfire on the liberals and the people would realize that if John F'n Kerry is the answer, then it is a really stupid question.
At this time, we have no reason to believe there's a nexus to terrorism
A Nexus of Evil Alert!
No reason to believe??
Probably put there by some 86 year old granny,huh.
Then it must have been your double, wopoon. 8~)
What's the temp in Oakland? Was watching the A's game. Young man sitting behind home plate was wearing a bulky heavy coat. Everyone else in shirt sleeves. Hmmmmmmm!
bump
So the first time the INS actually deports an illegal, it turns out to be a terrorist we needed to keep!
"Being paranoid sucks."
You're not kidding.
The night before JFK was assasinated, my mother woke up in tears because she had dreamed that JFK was killed. Fast forward a few years....
In about 1978, my mother starts mentioning how she's really worried whenever she sees the numbers 11:11 on the clock. Every time she sees it, she says, it's like a smack in the face. She told me several times how 11 11 makes her extremely uneasy... She's been saying it intermittantly now for 26 years. Needless to say, since 9/11 amd 3/11 I have come to fear the day 11/11.
Go ahead, have a nice laugh. I try to laugh it off as some sort of self-induced feminine hysteria. Which it probably is.
You were right. Sort of.
Purely coincidental, but Nick Berg went to school at Drexel, yes?!
Yeah. Sort of, is right. Thanks for the ping.
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