Posted on 10/31/2001 7:57:47 AM PST by Walkin Man
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:30 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
MIAMI - Federal agents are searching for six men who were detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline.
FBI director Robert Mueller was said to be ``furious'' at the release, the Miami Herald reported, citing an unidentified senior law enforcement official.
The incident apparently contributed to the new terror warning issued by the U.S. government, it said. FBI and INS officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
YOU got That right!!
Reuters
Posted October 31 2001, 2:16 PM EST
WASHINGTON - U.S. officials Wednesday said they had nothing to corroborate a newspaper report that federal agents were searching for six men who had been carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline.
Officials said they had no information about a search for the six men, whom The Miami Herald said had been detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying photographs and information on a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
``We have absolutely no information at this point in time to substantiate that story,'' said Russ Bergeron, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
A federal law enforcement official denied claims in the story that FBI director Robert Mueller was ``furious'' at the release.
``There's nothing to that. He was completely unaware of it. So there's no way he could be furious,'' the official said.
A Justice Department official said ``there's no credibility at all to that report.'' [The story continues!]
Reuters
Posted October 31 2001, 2:16 PM EST
WASHINGTON - U.S. officials Wednesday said they had nothing to corroborate a newspaper report that federal agents were searching for six men who had been carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline.
Officials said they had no information about a search for the six men, whom The Miami Herald said had been detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying photographs and information on a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
``We have absolutely no information at this point in time to substantiate that story,'' said Russ Bergeron, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
A federal law enforcement official denied claims in the story that FBI director Robert Mueller was ``furious'' at the release.
``There's nothing to that. He was completely unaware of it. So there's no way he could be furious,'' the official said.
A Justice Department official said ``there's no credibility at all to that report.'' [The story continues!]
I am sure that I read the original of the article posted by WalkinMan this morning and it was the article that WalkinMan posted and not the article that we now find at this URL: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1031detainees.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines.
In other words, I believe, but cannot 'prove' (since I did not make a copy of the original) that the piece has been re-written since WalkinMan made his post.
That said, note that WalkinMan's post (here) is marked as having been posted on FR 10/31/01 at 8:57 AM Pacific time while the article at the link in WalkinMan's post says it was posted October 31 2001, at 2:16 PM EST.
I believe that 2:16 PM EST is 11:16 AM Pacific time -- over two hours after WalkinMan made his post.
This indicates that the story was "updated" (re-written) since WalkinMan posted it to FR.
Please note that I am not disputing your hypothesis that we may have disinformation worker busy -- but the information I have strongly suggests that it is not WalkinMan.
What I find interesting is that the story at the URL posted by WalkinMan appears to have changed, and changed radically, between the time WalkinMan posted it (and I read it), and the time that you checked the original.
So . . . either the Sun Sentinel is writing stories, then checking them out and changing them, or something else is afoot.
In either case, the Sun Sentinel needs to explain this.
FBI furious over release of 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plantMIAMI - Federal agents are searching for six men who were detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline.
FBI director Robert Mueller was said to be ``furious'' at the release, the Miami Herald reported, citing an unidentified senior law enforcement official.
The incident apparently contributed to the new terror warning issued by the U.S. government, it said. FBI and INS officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.
Police stopped the six men traveling in two cars in an unidentified state over the weekend, the paper said. They were carrying photographs and information on a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska pipeline. They also carried box-cutters and other ``suspicious equipment,'' it said.
The men who hijacked four planes on Sept 11, killing more than 4,800 people and triggering the U.S. war against terrorism, used box-cutters to overpower flight crews.
The suspects in the Midwest incident appeared to be from the Middle East and carried Israeli passports, according to the Herald report. The Immigration and Naturalization Service decided the passports were valid and they had entered the United States legally and it released the suspects without consulting the FBI, it said.
Florida has three nuclear power plants -- at Turkey Point, south of Miami, St. Lucie, and the Crystal River plant north of St. Petersburg.
However, the story now at the above URL is now completely different and reads as follows: U.S. officials deny newspaper report that 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plant WASHINGTON - U.S. officials Wednesday said they had nothing to corroborate a newspaper report that federal agents were searching for six men who had been carrying material about a nuclear power plant in Florida and an Alaskan pipeline. ``We have absolutely no information at this point in time to substantiate that story,'' said Russ Bergeron, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. ``There's nothing to that. He was completely unaware of it. So there's no way he could be furious,'' the official said.
Reuters
Posted October 31 2001, 2:16 PM EST
Officials said they had no information about a search for the six men, whom The Miami Herald said had been detained in the Midwest but later released even though they were carrying photographs and information on a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
A federal law enforcement official denied claims in the story that FBI director Robert Mueller was ``furious'' at the release.
A Justice Department official said ``there's no credibility at all to that report.''
According to the report, police stopped the six men traveling in two cars in an unidentified state over the weekend. In addition to the photographs, they were carrying box-cutters and other ``suspicious equipment,'' it said.
The men who hijacked four planes on Sept 11, killing more than 4,800 people and triggering the U.S. war against terrorism, used box-cutters to overpower flight crews.
The suspects in the Midwest incident appeared to be from the Middle East and carried Israeli passports, according to the Herald story. The INS decided the passports were valid and they had entered the United States legally and it released the suspects without consulting the FBI, the newspaper said.
Florida has three nuclear power plants -- at Turkey Point, south of Miami, St. Lucie, and the Crystal River plant north of St. Petersburg.
According to your web site, the revision was published at 2:16 PM EST, some two hours after the original story was published on the news forum.
I find it curious that the revision contradicts the original while at the same time removing the original story.
Please explain why your paper is doing this.
I will publish your explanation in the news forum for public scrutiny.
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