Posted on 10/31/2001 5:31:15 AM PST by testforecho
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
FBI looking to question 6 men
BY MARTIN MERZER,
LENNY SAVINO
AND SUMANA CHATTERJEE
Knight Ridder Newspapers
--
WASHINGTON - As the nation again stands on high alert, the FBI is searching for six men stopped by police in the Midwest last weekend but released - even though they possessed photographs and descriptions of a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska pipeline, a senior law enforcement official said Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed new flight restrictions around nuclear plants nationwide Tuesday, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission advised the nation's 103 nuclear plants late Monday to fortify security.
The FAA temporarily banned all flights near New York's Yankee Stadium, where President Bush stood before a huge crowd at a World Series game Tuesday night and - wearing a New York City Fire Department jacket - tossed the ceremonial first pitch.
"It helps to keep the fabric of our country strong," said spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Meanwhile, an administration official said the urgent terrorism alert sounded Monday evening by Attorney General John Ashcroft was based largely on a message transmitted Sunday night by an Osama bin Laden supporter in Canada to Afghanistan.
That message referred to a major event that was going to take place "down south" this week, the official said.
Knight Ridder reported Monday that American officials feared that members of bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network had been unleashed to launch attacks without specific permission from their superiors.
On Tuesday, agency spokesmen said the FAA's flight restrictions and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's security recommendations were based on Ashcroft's general alert rather than a specific threat. Ashcroft warned that Americans at home or abroad could be struck by another terrorist attack this week.
The incident in the Midwest apparently contributed to the new terror warning. The six men stopped by police were traveling in groups of three in two white sedans, said the senior law enforcement official, who requested anonymity.
In addition to the photographs and other suspicious material, they carried "box cutters and other equipment," the official said. They appeared to be from the Middle East and held Israeli passports.
They were let go after the Immigration and Naturalization Service determined the passports were valid and that the men had entered the United States legally, the official said.
A spokesman for the INS called the report unfounded.
Somebody needs to tell the feds 1.)The era of PC and Clinton is over. 2.)Get a ticket to clueville.
Can you believe the INS? And the Congress wants us to federalize the airport security. If federalized airport security is as efficient as the INS or the IRS, for that matter, we'll be in much more trouble.
And Senator Graham was quoted on the Today Show, saying he didn't know why Ashcroft warned the public, it just raised their anxiety level. Well, maybe the public can be on the lookout, because the federal agencies sure aren't.
Not saying it is BS, but seems a bit far fetched.
The government is never the solution; in fact many times it is the problem.
Check out all passports--not just from Arab countries. These people have been moving around Europe freely for years and they have passports from all over the place. Americans are not good at guessing where people come from--so be suspicious of anyone who is doing something out of the ordinarly. And don't think that these people will not use women and children for cover--they WILL.
I cannot imagine any Moslem taking this time to tour around American scenic sites. Ask people questions if you think they do not belong. If their answer seem spurious, then report them.
Meanwhile, tell all the people you know in law enforcement not to be so PC. Don't trust documents. They are easily forged. If you are in a small town or community and you have not dealt with this type of professional terrorism, then don't hesitate to call in the big boys. Hold people and wait. No one will blame you for holding someone--but we will blame anyone who lets a terrorist slip through his/her fingers.
Motel owners and hotel owners should report suspicious people. Lots of motels and hotels are owned by Indians--they must understand that we will not tolerate them turning a blind eye to this type of thing. I hope that the government will confiscate the property of anyone who does not report suspicious people who turn out to be terrorists. If a hotel owner or apartment owner is suspicious then they have a duty to turn in the people that have arosed suspicion.
If it takes confiscating property of people who are involved in anti-American activities then I say let's do it!
I hope that the Canadian border patrol is finally tightening up and stopping and searching everyone who comes through their borders.
I think we should issue a blanket warning to Mexico that they better tell their people to stay south of the border as we intend to shoot first and ask questions later of anyone trying to sneak into this country. Vicente Fox better get off his rear end and get his country in shape and keep his people away from our borders. And Bush should immediately start sending back all the illegal immigrants. These people should stay in Mexico and work to make their country better.
We need to wait for the COMPLETE story. Thye can't be that incompitent. Slick is gone. Maybe they didn't get the word. . . . .
Sounds like a classic "FOF" rumor.
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