*** BREAKING NEWS ***
South Bend Tribune
Thursday, 19-Aug-2004 22:16:05 EST
FBI warning military recruiters of terrorism threat
By ADAM JACKSON
Tribune Staff Writer
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials contacted armed forces recruiting centers across the country this week, The Tribune has learned, to notify recruiters of intelligence pointing to possible terrorist attacks on the centers sometime in the next two months.
FBI Indiana spokeswoman Wendy Osborne said she could neither confirm nor deny the report, saying that it was “at the law enforcement sensitive level.” But other law enforcement officials and representatives of the armed forces have confirmed the report.
“This was a nationwide alert sent to recruiting centers,” said Public Affairs Officer Mary Auer with the Army Recruiting Center state headquarters in Indianapolis. “So far, I am not aware of any incidents that have occurred.”
Auer said the alert was on her e-mail when she came into work Thursday morning, adding that Army officials wasted no time in getting the word out across the state.
“We have been in contact with law enforcement agencies near our recruiting centers to advise them of the situation,” she said.
What will those law enforcement officials look for? Mike Samp, chief of the investigative division of the Mishawaka Police Department, said police officers with the department will be keeping a closer eye on the Armed Forces Recruiting Center on West McKinley Avenue, just looking for anything out of the ordinary.
“Every time they pass through that area, they will be on the alert for anything that’s out of place,” he said. “I don’t think (Osama) bin Laden has a vendetta against the Princess (Mishawaka), but we will be keeping an eye out.”
The alert did not include specific information on the type of terrorist threat that might be aimed at the recruiting centers.
Nor did it indicate what type of measures might be effective against the threat.
But measures are being taken. Sgt. David Lee, commander of the Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Plymouth, acknowledged that the staff at his office would take precautions against the threat but refused to elaborate.
Auer also was tight-lipped about what personnel at individual centers might do to combat the threat.
“We have appropriate force measures in place in case something happens,” she said.
But in South Bend, Indiana Northwest Region recruiting commander Capt. Rick Sweet said he and his staff would try to keep business as usual in the face of the FBI warning, without resorting to measures such as adjusting the hours of business or locking the doors.
“There’s been some stuff about a potential threat,” he said. “Nothing substantiated or anything like that.”
Whether or not an attack ever comes, people such as George Noirot, public affairs chief for the Great Lakes Army Recruiting Battalion in Lansing know that increased vigilance has become the norm, whether a threat is specific or not.
“We live in a different time than we did five years ago,” he said. “Times are different, so we take every caution with a great deal of concern.”
Tribune staff writers Melissa West, Josh Stowe and Heather Thomas contributed to this story.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/breakingnews/posts/1519.html
Let's add "No specific threat" from the article below to the list that includes:
-"Just kids playing with firecrackers"
-"Just Middle Eastern tourists taking pictures (or videotaping)"
-"Just don't panic because although we don't know what the heck caused [pick one: the fire; the explosion; the accident; the people becoming ill, etc.], we ruled out terrorism"
***
NBC11.com
Authorities Seek Man Seen Sketching Transamerica Building
Man Represents No Specific Threat
POSTED: 6:18 PM PDT August 19, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO -- A man seen taking photographs and making sketches of the Transamerica building in downtown San Francisco is wanted for questioning by police and federal agents, according to a recent law enforcement bulletin.
The man is being sought after he was seen conducting "surveillance activity" around the 48-story building at 600 Montgomery St. in the Financial District, according to a San Francisco Police Department bulletin dated Aug. 12.
A grainy image of the man apparently caught on a surveillance camera seems to show him looking upward while writing or drawing in a notebook.
San Francisco police Inspector George Nazzal said the man represented no specific threat.
"It could be anything," he said. "But at this point in time, it's better to check and make sure. He could be an architecture student."
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security raised the terror alert on the East Coast to orange, its second-highest level.
In announcing the change, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge cited "specific, credible information" about the possibility of a terrorist attack on buildings in the financial sectors of New York City, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
No threats to San Francisco landmarks were mentioned, but federal agents and local law enforcement officers plan to take all precautions.
"The Transamerica building's an icon of the city," Nazzal said. "We've got to treat it as a possible target."
The man seen making sketches outside the building is described as Middle Eastern, about 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with no facial hair. He may speak with an accent, according to the bulletin.
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Copyright 2004 by Bay City News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/3668186/detail.html
They're not very creative, are they. That's the same stuff they're doing in Iraq.
Homicide/car bombers, or something like it. They'd probably try to do the abandoned bag or some such thing first. They may not want to spend their assets as quickly here as they do there.
Lots of interesting stories tonight, thanks!
BumPING!