Posted on 11/02/2001 8:20:54 AM PST by JCH
Six Islamic terrorists are in U.S. carrying Israeli passports
WASHINGTON — Islamic insurgents operating in the United States have entered the country with forged Israeli passports.
U.S. security officials said the Israeli passports were discovered in the investigation that immediately followed the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington. They said the passports were either stolen or forged.
The FBI believes that six Arabs from the Middle East are now holding Israeli passports, Middle East Newsline reported. They have stopped Israeli nationals coming into the United States and have detained several of them.
Law enforcement officials are concerned that agents were sent by Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden intend to launch a new series of attacks on strategic U.S. targets. These include nuclear plants and pipelines.
In Vienna, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency today urged world leaders to safeguard radioactive materials, and called for strict new controls to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.
Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters the willingness of terrorists to commit suicide and inflict massive damage makes the possibility of a nuclear-related attack much more likely now.
"We need to act quickly to protect ourselves," he said.
The guys with the Israeli passports alluded to in this story have apparently not been busted, so they would not be the same guys.
I have kind of followed this story.
Based on what I’ve seen, the judgment as to whether this is an urban legend or not, would merely be a choice on which story or stories that you choose to believe.
If you believe the stories about the 6 guys and the passports, you will come to the conclusion that this is not an urban legend.
If you believe the single story refuting the stories about the 6 guys and the passports, you will come to the conclusion that this is an urban legend.
The decision can’t be made based on the sources for the stories, because the quality of the sources for all stories is the same – very poor. None of the stories name sources,
Here’s an outline of what I’ve found.
Story 1:
FBI looking to question 6 menDate: Oct. 31, 2001
Synopsis:
6 middle eastern looking men were found traveling in 2 vans with photographs of a nuclear plant in Florida, photos of the trans-Alaska pipeline, boxcutters and other apparently incriminating material.Sources: “a senior law enforcement official,” INSThe cops that made the stop released the 6 guys after calling INS and learning the passports were valid. INS called the report unfounded.
The FBI is now looking for them.
Original Story: http://www.l-e-o.com/content/columbus/2001/10/31/news/1031ALERT.htm
Story 2:
FBI furious over release of 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plantStory 3:Date: Oct. 31, 2001
Synopsis:
“FBI director Robert Mueller was said to be ``furious'' at the release, the Miami Herald reported, citing an unidentified senior law enforcement official.” Sources: Miami Herald, “a senior law enforcement official,” INSOriginal Story:
This story was published by the South Florida Sun Sentinal at this URL: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1031detainees.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines.Sources: Miami Herald, "unidentified senior law enforcement official."However, the above story no longer exists at that URL, because it was quickly replaced with Story 3, below.
See this post for details on the revision of the above story: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/560594/posts?page=68#68
Thread here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/560594/posts?
U.S. officials deny newspaper report that 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plantStory 4:Date: Oct. 31, 2001
Synopsis:
“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.”Sources: Miami Herald, “U.S officials”
Original Story:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1031detainees.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2DheadlinesThis is the story that replaced the story claiming the FBI was furious over the release of the 6 guys.
This is the piece that you can cite if you choose to believe that the story of the 6 middle eastern looking guys with material about a nuke plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska pipeline is an urban legend.
Sources: Miami Herald, “U.S officials”
Six Islamic terrorists are in U.S. carrying Israeli passportsDate: Nov. 1, 2001
Synopsis:
Islamic insurgents operating in the United States have entered the country with forged or stolen Israeli passports. The FBI believes that six Arabs from the Middle East are now holding Israeli passports.U.S. security officials said the Israeli passports were discovered in the investigation that immediately followed the Sept. 11 suicide attacks
Original Story:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_4.html.Sources: Miami Herald, “U.S security officials”
My problem is that I have also seen variations of the story which indicate that the middle easterners had (a) plans for two nuclear plants, one in Florida and one in Alaska (there are no nuclear plants in Alaska) and (b) plans for a nuclear plant in Florida and a Trans-Atlantic Pipeline.
It has been the theme and variation nature by which I have seen the same basic story modified again and again that makes me consider this an urban legend.
Your are correct, in that I probably should wait until some of the dust settles before I pass judgement. I will say that this is definately not breaking news or even news at all.
The new story does not add clarity to the situation.
According to the latest news, the 6 middle-eastern looking guys (called "terrorists" in the latest story) got in using stolen or forged passports.
According to the latest story the problems with the passports were discovered immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.
When all stories are considered together, we find that the 6 terrorists that are officially not in the country got in using stolen or forged passports that officials discovered a month ago.
I told you the latest story didn't add clarity.
The latest update follows below in the context of summaries of the previous stories.
For completeness, complete text of all stories follow the summaries.
The Original story (Oct. 31):
FBI looking to question 6 menThe Update to the Original story (Oct. 31):The original story tells us that cops, somewhere in the "Midwest," stopped 6 Middle Eastern looking men traveling in 2 vans with photo's of a nuke plant in Florida, photos of the trans-Alaska pipeline, boxcutters, and other "equipment."
The original story tells us that after stopping these guys, the cops released them, and after they were released, the FBI was looking for them.
FBI furious over release of 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plantThe latest story (Nov. 1):The update to the original story tells us that the FBI was "furious" over the fact that the cops released 6 middle eastern men.
The Revision of the Update to the Original Story (Oct 31):
U.S. officials deny newspaper report that 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plant
The revision to the update of the original story tell us that the original incident never happened.
Six Islamic terrorists are in U.S. carrying Israeli passportsCurious, ain’t it?This story tells us that 6 Islamic terrorists have entered the U.S. using stolen or forged Israeli passports.
The story says that law enforcement officials believe that agents were sent by Osama bin Ladin and intend to launch attacks on nuclear plants and pipeline facilities.
The story says that U.S. security officials said the Israeli passports were discovered in the investigation that immediately followed the Sept. 11 suicide attacks.
All four stories follow:
Story 1:
From: http://www.l-e-o.com/content/columbus/2001/10/31/news/1031ALERT.htmFBI looking to question 6 men
Group had pictures of nuclear facility, pipeline, but were released by police
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.
Story 2:
A copy of the second story follows. This story existed for a few hours at this URL: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1031detainees.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines, and was then replaced by Story 3.Story 3:FBI furious over release of 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plant
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.
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.
The story below replaced the above story -- i.e. after a few hours, the content of the above page was altered to read as follows:
U.S. officials deny newspaper report that 6 found with map of Florida nuclear plantStory 4 (the latest so far):Reuters
Posted October 31 2001, 2:16 PM ESTWASHINGTON - 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.''
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.
From: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_4.htmlSix Islamic terrorists are in U.S. carrying Israeli passports
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, November 1, 2001
WASHINGTON — Islamic insurgents operating in the United States have entered the country with forged Israeli passports.
U.S. security officials said the Israeli passports were discovered in the investigation that immediately followed the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington. They said the passports were either stolen or forged.
The FBI believes that six Arabs from the Middle East are now holding Israeli passports, Middle East Newsline reported. They have stopped Israeli nationals coming into the United States and have detained several of them.
Law enforcement officials are concerned that agents were sent by Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden intend to launch a new series of attacks on strategic U.S. targets. These include nuclear plants and pipelines.
In Vienna, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency today urged world leaders to safeguard radioactive materials, and called for strict new controls to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.
Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters the willingness of terrorists to commit suicide and inflict massive damage makes the possibility of a nuclear-related attack much more likely now.
"We need to act quickly to protect ourselves," he said.
I was driving home from work listening to National Public Radio (my car arial broke so all I can get is NPR) and heard on the news that Grey Davis, governor of California, had gone public with the latest terrorist threat against suspension bridges in the west.
Davis explained that he did this because the missive he received from the federal government was specific as "to time, place and method."
As I slammed on my brakes to avoid ramming the car in front of me (the driver of which had slammed on his brakes to avoid ramming the car in front of him . . . . and so on), I recalled images from a recent news conference where Ashcroft was asked about the latest FBI warning of a looming terrorist attack on our country.
The questions went along the line of "why warn citizens to be on the lookout without giving specifics of what we are to look out for?"
Ashcroft explained that when information of terrorist attacks carries specifics as to time, place and method, the public will be certainly be told.
What struck me about the NPR report is that it said the information given to Davis carried the advisory that the information he received should not be given to the press.
Curious times.
Keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious (for example, 6 middle-eastern looking guys motoring around in two large white vans with odd photographs strewn about on the floorboard).
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