Detonator led to bridge shutdown
Juárez man investigated by FBI, INS
Diana Washington Valdez
El Paso Times, March 16, 2002
The El Paso FBI is investigating an 18-year-old Juárez man who was detained Thursday night at the Paso del Norte Bridge with a detonator device for possible "attempted bombing and explosive law violations," FBI Special Agent Al Cruz said Friday.
"The suspect is a Mexican citizen in the custody of the INS on violations of U.S. immigration laws," Cruz said. "What the FBI is investigating is a bomb case."
Roberto J. Moreno, the suspect, allegedly also possessed the means to create false documents, officials said.
"The detonator was homemade, but the only thing it was missing to make it a bomb was explosive material," El Paso police Sgt. Al Velarde said.
Moreno was in custody Friday at the El Paso County Jail under $2,000 bond. Authorities did not provide any details about his background or what he planned to do with the device.
Although Moreno was stopped at 7:30 p.m., officials did not close the Paso del Norte Bridge until 9:30 p.m. -- two hours after the detonator was intercepted. They reopened it about two hours later.
"We are reviewing why the bridge wasn't closed sooner," Velarde said. "It was the El Paso Police Department that made the call to close the bridge as a safety precaution."
Several federal agencies operate at the international bridges and have jurisdiction over different matters. But when public safety is at risk, city police can take charge and order measures such as closing the bridges, Velarde said.
Immigration and Naturalization Service officials are investigating Moreno separately for alleged possession of false immigration documents, INS spokeswoman Anita Reyes said.
Initially, El Paso police arrested him on a charge of possession of a hoax device, which is a misdemeanor.
The El Paso Police Department and FBI bomb squad members were called to the bridge after a U.S. Customs Service inspector discovered the device inside Moreno's luggage, Velarde said. "He also had a computer disk with template to create false documents, and had something that possibly was a map of some kind."
After the bomb squad destroyed the device, they inspected the remains and found out that the detonator did not contain any explosive material.
Authorities said Moreno walked across the bridge from Juárez at 7:30 p.m. with a carry-on suitcase. He was stopped for inspection at the pedestrian checkpoint.
Velarde said officials noticed the device, and after initial inspection, "it was determined that the device appeared to be an explosive and posed a danger to the premises."
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com